From 1923, With Love
by A Keeper
Summary: Like their sisters, Avery and Jackie go to watch a harmless movie to find that they are no longer in their apartment...or year. Managing to get pulled into an adventure, one searches for a way home, the other searches for answers, and somehow fall in love along the way with two very different people. Ardeth/OC Jonathan/OC
1. Jesus, Take the Wheel

**Jackie: It's finally here! Keeper finally made it!**

**Avery: We finished shooting in the middle of Of Sewers and Dragons and had to be very patient for this to come out so-**

**Ellie, Meg, Sarah, Brooke, Rebecca: KEEPER ONLY OWNS HER CRAZY OCS! SURPRISE!**

**Jackie and Avery: Jerks. **

**"Jesus, take the wheel, take it from my hands, 'cause I can't do this on my own..." -Carrie Underwood**

* * *

><p>Thunder rumbled in the distance, making Jackie squeal in delight, "Oh, I love thunderstorms!" Avery smiled at her best friend and room mate, but her mind was elsewhere despite her love of thunderstorms as well. "You're thinking about Meg again, aren't you?"<p>

Avery threw a pillow at her and laughed, attempting vainly to change the topic. "No, I was thinking that you're a dork."

Though Jackie laughed, she knew what was really going on in her head. "You know, I think about Ellie, too. It's okay to miss them, but they said they'll come back for Christmas and Easter, so you don't have to-"

"It's not that I miss them that's bugging me like heck." She interrupted. Though Avery did miss her sister who had a story no one would believe if they hadn't been to 'The Picnic That Changed Everyone,' it was more of a jealousy, a heartache that she was plagued with. "She's always wanted to be a mother, to have a family. So have I. I'm what? A year or two older than her and she's already married, has a kid and another on the way!"

"So you're jealous."

"Yes."

"Is it any consolation that that perfect guy is out there and that if you're just patient, you'll find him?"

"Not at all, but good try."

"Whatever. Can we watch the movie now?"

"Since when are you into 'The Hobbit'?"

"Since you got me into it."

They fell silent. All of the siblings of the five girls who had vanished never went to see 'The Hobbit' because it reminded them of the girls who they had thought dead. Avery loved the book and was a big Lord of the Rings fan, but she had never watched the movie...until today. "Go ahead, put it in and hopefully the power will stay on."

Jackie went up to the DVD player and placed the disc inside, returning to the couch to watch the movie to find that the screen was a fizzle of black and white.

"It's not a VHS tape, why is it doing this?" Avery asked.

"Maybe we're on the wrong channel." Jackie went to fix it, but the screen turned black, then blinked and now had a gold scarab beetle in the center. "I don't think that's what Bilbo is supposed to look like."

"What's going on?" Avery went up and nearly had her nose to the screen, scrutinizing every detail. "I think it's a-" The power sparked, then blew out and suddenly, everything was dark.

In New York, the girls Jackie Smith and Avery Jackson disappeared upon that night.

* * *

><p>"Are you alright, love?"<p>

Jackie opened her eyes slowly, her head spinning to a violent stop, focusing on the face of a rather drunk man with a British accent. She jerked forward and looked around; it looked like a museum, there were books and coffins and artifacts everywhere—definitely not the apartment. "Where am I?"

"You're in a museum in Cairo." He replied, helping her stand though it was she who had the better balance in all honesty.

"What's the date?!" She exclaimed, calm that she was at least in her own world and not some other place like her sister had been dumped.

"1923." He eyed her closely. "You look a little pale, darling, perhaps you should sit down. Or better yet, lay down! Come, you can help me spook my sister."

She didn't really have a choice, he took her by her hand and dragged her away while she was left to process that the exact same thing she and Avery had been speaking of earlier was coming true. _Avery!_ She thought. _Oh, Avery, wherever you are, please be safe!_

* * *

><p>"Goodness me, darling! Are you alright? A book case must've fallen on your head when you came in! I am so terribly sorry, that happens to be my fault." A woman with dark, curly hair was leaning over Avery, her eyes full of concern. She looked and sounded like a proper British woman.<p>

"I'm alright," She managed to say, sitting up. She looked down and found that her clothes were rather...old. It was like the style of the 20's. Oh, no...

"I'm so sorry, here, let me get you something warm to drink, perhaps I could send for a relative to come pick you up?" The woman went on and on, easing her into a chair and presenting her with a cup of tea.

"Forgive me, but what year is it?"

"1923, are you sure you're alright?"

She went deathly pale. "I'm sorry, but I have no one here who can help me. I've no idea where my friend could be and I truly don't know what to do."

There was a faint crash coming from down the hallway and the women looked from the hallway to each other. "Well, I'll help in any way that I can, but first I should go check that out. My name is Evelyn by the way, Evelyn Carnahan, but everyone calls me Evy."

"And I'm Avery, Avery Jackson, pleasure to meet you, Evy."

"The pleasure is mine."

They walked down the hall into a room with golden coffins—sarcophagi—with mummies in them, in search of whatever had caused that sound. In truth, they both were a little tense as the scenery was creepy.

Out of nowhere (a sarcophagus, actually) the upper body of a skeleton popped out and made Evy and Avery jump and cry out is surprise and fear. Then there was a pair of _laughter. _

"Jonathan Carnahan, have you no respect for the dead?!" Evy exclaimed.

"Jacqueline Smith, I'm going to get you for that!"

"Sorry, Ave, you know how I like to get rid of fear."

"By instilling it in others! What a fine way to do things!"

By then, the man, Jonathan, and Jackie had climbed out and the four were sitting on a step while Evy went about scolding them much to Avery's happiness; well, until Jonathan managed to sweet talk his sister into shutting up. "Oh, and I have something, by the way!"

"Oh, Jonathan, not another one of your silly trinkets for me to try and sell off-"

"I know, I know that happens a lot but I think this is different; please tell me that I have something." He pleaded as he handed her a box.

She stared at it in amazement while Avery and Jackie (who seem to have been forgotten by the siblings) looked at each other with concern. What had they gotten themselves into?

* * *

><p>Patiently, they waited outside the curator's office while they listened to Evy and Jonathan speak to him about the box.<p>

"Hamunaptra?" Jackie asked. "We're talking about the city of the dead?"

"It sounds like they want to go." Avery noted, her ear completely pressed against the wall to hear everything while Jackie only got the bits and pieces that floated through the open door. "We have to go with them, but how are we going to convince them to let us go?"

"Easy," Jackie said with a shrug. "Lie."

"What do you have in mind, O Creator of Brilliant Plans?"

"Be patient!"

"Oh, my goodness!" The Curator exclaimed.

"The map!" Jonathan cried. "You've burned off the part about the lost city!"

The three hadn't noticed that the girls had entered when they heard the cries of alarm. "It's for the best I'm sure," The Curator said. "Many men wasted their lives in the foolish pursuit of Hamunaptra. No one's ever found it. Most have never returned."

"Well, we can certainly try, can't we?!" Evy proclaimed then stormed out of the office with Jonathan holding the map and the box and the girls trailing behind.

"What are you doing Evy?" Jonathan asked.

"The fellow you found this with could lead us to the city, we can go after it." Evy then looked to the girls and realized that they were still there. "Oh, I am so sorry, I had forgotten about you. I don't suppose you'd like to come with us?"

"Is that an invitation?" Jackie asked.

"We've only just met you." Avery pointed out. "Why ask us when you could ask someone else?"

"I don't know," Evy admitted. "I just have this feeling that you ought to be there and it feels wrong leaving you two behind. Besides, it would be good to have someone else watching over Jonathan."

"Hey!"

"Alright," Jackie said. "We're in."

* * *

><p>"Good Lord, what the heck are we doing in 1923?!" Avery hissed on the car ride to the prison where Jonathan claimed the man he had "borrowed" the box from was being held.<p>

"You think I know?" Jackie whispered; Jonathan's head was upon her shoulder and he was fast asleep while Evy was absorbed in a book in the passenger seat. "But I'm guessing it has something to do with the same thing that took Ellie and Meg on their adventure."

"Do you think we're going to end up okay?" Avery's harshness had faded and it struck Jackie at just how afraid her friend really was.

"Well, the others were alright, so we should be too."

"They didn't return for three years. What if the same thing happens to us?"

"Then it happens and there's no use trying to change it or worrying over it because what's going to happen will happen and we can't do a darn thing to stop it."

"You're right." She muttered. "You're always right."

"I know."

Avery rolled her eyes and managed to clip her friend in the back of her head.

* * *

><p>"Right over here, step over here, please." The Warden said as he lead them to the cell that would hold their man.<p>

Jackie didn't like the fat man whose occupation was deciding the lives of other men who probably weren't raised any other way. Avery wrinkled her nose and bid Jackie to walk in front of her so she did not have to endure the stench of a man who did not bathe.

"That's what friends are for." Jackie said, choking down the bile that had risen in the back of her throat. This must've been the pay back for scaring her at the museum.

"The guards shall bring him out, wait but a moment. Excuse me," And he left, leaving them to wait for the-

The guards pulled a rather neanderthal like man from a door and chained him to a chair, his arms tied behind him. Scratch the waiting. "Who are you?" He asked, then gave Evy a once over without even bothering to hide it. "And who's the broad?"

"'Broad'?!" Evy exclaimed.

Jackie put a hand on her shoulder and whispered, "Try not to be too offended, we are in a prison and we have more important things to do than be insulted."

Avery rolled her eyes; only Jackie was going to attempt to calm an insulted British woman. Smart.

"I'm just a local sort of missionary chap, spreading the Good Word, you know." Jonathan said. Jackie snickered; she was beginning to like Mr. Carnahan. "This is my sister, Evy and our...cousins, Jackie and Avery."

"How do you do?" Evy asked. Jackie rolled her eyes and then preceded to endure a rather painful jab to the ribs from Avery.

"Guess she's not a total loss." He muttered.

"I beg your pardon!" Jonathan nudged her with his foot and whispered something about the box and with a scowl, she explained, "We've found your er, puzzle box and we've come to ask you about it."

"No."

"No?" Jackie looked to him, surprised. "Did he just say no?"

"Shut it if you know what's good for you." Avery growled under her breath.

Jonathan placed a hand on her shoulder, "It's alright, love, I get that a lot."

"You came to ask me about Hamunaptra." He said dryly, his face seemed to have a permanent bored expression.

"How did you know the box pertained to Hamunaptra?" Avery asked, unable to help herself.

"Because that's where I was when I found it. I was there." Jackie smiled; she enjoyed annoying Avery, but watching him annoy her was pure gold. She glared darkly at him and he held his hands up like he was innocent, then returned his attention to the siblings.

"How do we know that's not a load of pig's wallow?" Jonathan asked, coming close to the bars.

"Do I know you?" The man asked, examining every inch of Jonathan's face. Jackie sense something funny was going to happen.

"No, no, I just got one of those faces-" Realization dawned on him and he punched him.

"Jonathan!" Jackie exclaimed, then went to his side, trying to rouse him from his spontaneous nap.

Avery went to stand by her friend, but her attention was mostly on the man, wondering what his intentions were and if he truly meant that he would not take them to Hamunaptra. "You were actually at Hamunaptra?" Evy asked, stepping over her brother and making her grin. She liked Evy.

"Yeah, I was there. Seti's place. City of the Dead."

"Could you tell me how to get there?" Evy stammered, excitement hard to conceal in her eyes. If the man did not give her what she wanted, Avery would be surprised. Who could deny her simple directions? He beckoned her closer and closer until her face was nearly pressed against the bars and then, he kissed her.

Avery's eyes widened and she looked away, her eyes drifting to Jackie who was staring at them like an owl. She kicked Jonathan and made him groan, instantly drawing her attention back to the writhing man once more.

"Then get me out of here." Was the last thing she heard before the guards dragged him away.

"Where are they taking him?" Avery asked the Warden who had returned at that instant.

"To be hanged."

Well, shoot.

* * *

><p>Whilst Jackie went with Jonathan to tend to a bloody nose, Avery went with Evy and the Warden to the Warden's box seat to oversee the hanging. She didn't feel comfortable watching a hanging at all, but Evy was persistent that she come despite the threat of a man's life because she thought she could bargain for his freedom.<p>

Drums sounded as he was prepared to drop which echoed in a strange tune with Evy's offers to the Warden who only truly cared about getting her in a bed. Each offer was denied. He called out the Arabic word and Avery found she was unable to look away as the man fell through...only to find himself wringing by his neck.

"His neck did not break!" The Warden exclaimed. "I am sorry, now we must watch him strangle to death."

Unable to stand it any longer, Avery spoke up, "He knows the location to Hamunaptra."

Evy looked at her in surprise and horror while Warden looked as though he had just noticed her and was very disbelieving. "You lie." He accused.

"I would never!" That was a lie.

"He knows the location of the City of the Dead?"

"Yes and if you set him free we'll give you ten percent." She knew Evy had him; she had such a determined look in her eye, that Avery knew she would not have to worry about anything.

"Fifty percent,"

"Twenty,"

"Thirty,"

"Twenty-five!"

"Deal!" She exclaimed with a smile as he realized that he had made a stupid call.

He groaned in annoyance, "Cut him down!"

"Great job," Avery commented as she and Evy walked to find Jonathan and Jackie. "I especially enjoyed the last bit and I hope you can forgive for telling him about Hamunaptra, but we needed him."

"Don't worry, I forgive you. In fact, thank you for doing so, it may have cost us everything."

Somewhere, deep in the desert, a man with dark hair and tattoos in the language of his people across his cheeks and forehead woke from a strange dream of a woman with long, dark hair and hazelnut eyes and her companion who had fiery red hair and green eyes.


	2. Unwell

**Jackie: Avery...**

**Avery: Yes?**

**Jackie: Keeper's a wreck. She is literally sobbing on the floor...what happened?**

**Avery: Um...Allegiant, Merlin, The Hobbit (for the hundredth time,) and Supernatural. **

**Jackie: Ooh. Jeez, she must've wanted that or else she wouldn't have done that! Merlin, gosh, that's a tough break.**

**Avery: *tearing up* Yeah, I'm going to go cry with her...all of those things scarred me for life...**

**Jackie: Yeah...I think everyone is going to be with her in a moment...Keeper only owns us OCs. **

**"I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell..." -Matchbox 20**

* * *

><p>They were on the docks of Giza, overlooking the Great Pyramids...and waiting for Richard O'Connell to show up as the sailors loaded their belongings into the boat. Jackie was always by Jonathan's side and they were often in the same scheme.<p>

"Do you think he'll show up?" Evy asked, her mind in the clouds rather than in her book as of late.

"Yes, undoubtedly, knowing my luck. He may be a cowboy, but I know the breed. His word is his word."

"You know the breed?" Jackie asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow, though her smile was ever present.

"I didn't realize cowboy was a breed, what breed do you suppose we're apart of, Jackie?" Avery questioned with a smile.

"The Apes."

Evy rolled her eyes and proceeded to ignore them. "Well, personally I think he's filthy, rude, a complete scoundrel-"

"Anyone I know?" They jumped and turned to see the very man they were looking/speaking of, freshly shaven, wearing clean clothes and not looking a thing like what Evy had described nor what they had expected.

"Oh, um, hello." Evy stammered, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Smashing day for the start of an adventure, eh, O'Connell?" Jonathan asked, pulling his attention away from his sister, perhaps unintentionally.

"Yeah, smashing." He halfheartedly agreed, "shaking" Jonathan's hand.

"Mr. O'Connell, can you look me in the eye and guarantee me this isn't some kind of flimflam because if it is I am warning you-"

"You're warning me?" He interrupted Evy. "Lady, let me put it this way: my whole garrison believed in this so much that without orders, they marched halfway across Libya and into Egypt to find that city and when we got there, all we found was sand and blood. Let me get your bags."

"I have absolutely no idea what that had to do with him guaranteeing this isn't fake."

"You and me both." Avery muttered.

Jonathan held his arm out to Jackie. "Come, darling, an adventure awaits us!" And with their arms linked, they boarded the boat.

"Bright and good morning to all." The Warden said as he approached them.

"Oh, no! What are you doing here?" Evy exclaimed, much to Avery's surprise at her show of disgust. Evy didn't seem like the type of person to openly show their dislike.

"Here to protect my investment." He said proudly, though in his clothes and stench, it was rather hard to pay attention.

With exasperated sighs, the women boarded the boat long after he finished climbing on.

* * *

><p>It was late; Jackie and Jonathan had disappeared, Evy was reading a book and Avery decided to lay in her bed in the room all the girls shared, feigning sickness. She felt bad for the men—they had to share with the Warden. She did not linger on that thought too long, soon the lull of the waves pulled her into an almost sleep—the twilight zone between when she heard footsteps in the hallway. Too tired to roll her eyes, she assumed it was Jackie and fell completely asleep.<p>

"Would you quit cleaning your glasses and cut the deck, Burns?"

Jackie grinned at the Americans' banter, quite enjoying their little arguments which were treated as duels between the three of them, Burns, Daniels and Henderson. Jonathan was beside her, drinking to his hearts content and, to her surprise, able to hold every last drop.

"O'Connell, sit down, we could use another player." She looked up to see that Rick had entered and she offered him a smile. It didn't matter who played, she would beat them. When she was bored one summer, she decided to teach herself poker and became really good; she was going to win that money and be able to repay Evy for her kindness in purchasing the tickets to travel for them.

"I only gamble with my life, never with money." His proclamation startled her if nothing else; if this was true, then what were they getting themselves into?

"Never?" Daniels asked, "What if I was to bet you $500 that we get to Hamunaptra before you?"

This also startled her. She didn't know that they knew she was, who? She looked around, then locked eyes with a sheepish Jonathan.

"You're looking for Hamunaptra?"

"That's right."

"And who says we are?" He asked, though she knew that he already knew the answer.

"He does." The Americans quipped in unison. "How 'bout it? Is it a bet?"

"Alright, you're on."

Jackie smiled; this could get interesting, not that it wasn't already. "What makes you so confident, Sir?" A rather snobby rich guy said who was acting as a historian type of guy for the American group. She already decided that she didn't like him.

"What makes you?" Point one for O'Connell.

"We got us a man who's actually been there." Jackie blinked in surprise, then looked to Rick. His jaw tightened, he must've known the man. She'll ask about him later.

"Oh, what a coincidence, because O'Connell-" Jackie slammed her heel upon his foot and smiled at the men. He let out a cry of pain but covered it up with a cough. "Whose play is it?"

"Gentlemen, we've got us a wager, good evening Jonathan, Jackie."

* * *

><p>Evy had returned to the room, knocking gently upon the door, "Avery, may I come in?" When the girl didn't respond, she assumed that she was asleep and opened the door to find that she was not there at all. With a shrug, the Englishwoman changed into her nightdress and began reading, er, trying to read and <em>not<em> think about O'Connell when she dropped her book.

She bent down to pick it up and looked in the mirror again to see a man with a hook holding Avery, the hook pressed firmly against her throat and his other hand covering her mouth, her eyes screaming with fear what her mouth could not.

"The key," The man said. "Where is the key?"

"Key? What key? I don't have a key," She stammered, unsure about what he could do to her and her friend.

"Evelyn, Avery!" O'Connell burst into the room, firing guns at those who held her captive. Evy took his moment of confusion to jab a candlestick into his eye. Avery ran into the hall while O'Connell virtually dragged Evy out who was saying something about a map, though he reassured her that he was the map.

Jonathan and Jackie ran to the cabin after hearing gunshots. Avery and the others weren't there, but Jonathan did just set a man on fire. "The box!" Jackie cried. "Grab the box!" And so he did and they, too, ran away.

Avery and Evy ducked behind a wall, waiting for Rick to load his gun so that they could make a break without getting hurt.

"Can you swim?" He yelled over a fire that the strangers had started.

"Of course I can swim if the occasion calls for it!" Evy cried.

Rick picked her up and tossed her over the side, then looked to Avery, "It calls for it." She shoved him aside and jumped off the boat, followed by Rick and the Warden and just barely missed by Jonathan and Jackie who were watching as the Americans were enjoying themselves by shooting whatever they thought was bad.

"Americans." Jonathan grumbled. The man with a hook, the one who Jonathan had accidentally set on fire and who was still on fire ran in front of them, attempting to get the box when Henderson shot him.

Jackie nodded her thanks while Jonathan exclaimed proudly, "I say, bloody good show chaps. And did I panic? I think not!" A burst of flames made Jackie drag him off the boat and into the water where they were promptly pulled out by Rick and Avery.

* * *

><p>Choking and stumbling away from the wreck, Evy was spouting sonnets about losing everything while the girls were just happy to be alive. Avery looked into one of the rare plots of vegetation, a creeping feeling that someone was watching her as she gazed into the only possible hiding place only to lock eyes with something. She froze, rooted to the ground, fear etching across her face.<p>

"You alright Avery?" Jackie asked.

The eyes looked at her expectantly and she had no doubt that whoever the eyes belonged to could hear her. "Everything's fine, just a little frightened is all, nothing to worry about."

"Whatever."

When she looked back, the eyes were gone.

"Hey, O'Connell!" A rather dingy man called from the other side of the Nile. "Looks to me like I got all the horses!"

"Hey, Beni! Looks to me like you're on the wrong side of the river!"

If she wasn't so scared, she would have laughed.

* * *

><p>Rick lead them to a little village where the girls were instantly swept into a tent where they were dressed in the traditional clothing of Egyptian women. Jackie wasn't into it as much as Avery or Evy, so the second she paid for her clothing, she went to help Jonathan buy camels as the strange Englishman never made anything simple.<p>

"Five, I only want five camels, not the whole bloody caravan!" He exclaimed.

"Is it just me, or is Jonathan having a hard time counting?" She whispered to Rick.

"No," He said after a moment's hesitation. "He's just looking to get you to ride with him." Her face became red in a deep blush. "You know, we probably could have gotten them for free, if we had just given him your sister." He took a camel or two and lead it.

"Or Avery, awfully tempting isn't it?"

"Hey!" Avery exclaimed as she and Evy came up to them. Rick had all eyes on Evelyn while Jonathan and Jackie rolled their eyes (as if love wasn't in the air.) Though, if it was, it was not hitting Avery—no. She would not be stuck with the Warden, darn you for thinking that—but she just shrugged it off and accepted Rick's help as she climbed onto her camel.

It wasn't hard once you got the hang of it, but unfortunately, Jackie and Jonathan couldn't seem to get the hang of it.

"Come now, darling, if you don't throw us off, I'll give you a carrot." Jonathan said to the beast whilst he tried to maintain his balance while Jackie clung to his back for her life.

"How do you know they eat carrots?" She asked warily, eyeing the ground as though it would purposely make the camel trip and fall.

"They don't!" Evy called. "Just relax, they can smell fear!"

Needless to say, it was hours before they got the hang of the camel and by that time, the sun had past beneath the horizon and the desert's temperatures dropped extremely. Avery offered to stay awake to make sure no one fell off as they rode and Rick was leading them, which made it mandatory for him to stay awake.

In the distance, something caught her eye. It moved, but it was like a cat in a bag, fighting to get out. She squinted, trying to get a better look, and found that it wasn't a single living thing, it was a bunch of horses with men on them. "O'Connell, do you-"

"Uh huh."

"Are they-"

"Don't know. Let's hope not." He eyed her carefully and then added. "You can get some sleep now, I have a feeling you're going to need it."

"But, I don't-"

"Sleep, now."

She rolled her eyes and much to her surprise, fell asleep nearly instantly—she should start listening to O'Connell more often.

* * *

><p>"Avery, come on, sleeping beauty, rise and shine!"<p>

Said girl blinked awake and gazed into the dim morning light of an Egyptian dawn. Down a little ways, she could see a bunch of horses and a camel approaching. "Are we there yet?" She asked through a yawn.

"Not quite yet," Rick said. "We gotta be patient. We're about to be shown the way."

The usual banter between the Americans and Beni and her own group ensued, but Avery was not yet awake enough to pay attention until a race between the two began and her camel decided (without her discretion, mind you,) that it would partake in the little adventure as well.

"Holy Lord in Heaven-" She managed to mutter before the camel galloped, not nearly as fast Evy or Rick, but fast enough to scare her to death.

"Go Avery! You can do it!"

"The only doing I'm going to be is-" She was cut off when her camel gave a strange shriek and made it third in the little contest.

Wearily, as she staggered off the camel, she commented, "I am never getting on the back of one of those things again."

"At least he didn't spit on you." Jonathan muttered while Jackie snickered. He had been a true gentlemen and took the camel missile when it had been intended for her. "Though I agree, darling, if I can help it no camel shall see me on its humped back again!"

Avery rolled her eyes and looked around; Evy was already deciphering everything and Rick (to no one's surprise) was tailing her everywhere. Well, everywhere except when he slipped away to steal a thing of tools from the unsuspecting Americans. She smiled at the thought, then frowned. She felt like she was being watched and goosebumps rose upon her flesh.

"Kind of spooky, huh?" Jackie asked, nudging her from her thoughts. "I feel like I'm walking through ghosts whenever I get close to some ancient artifact."

Avery nodded, though she felt as though it was much less supernatural.


	3. Accidentally In Love

**Jackie: Who's this chapter dedicated to again?**

**Avery: Topz, Kaden, Guest, xSiriuslyPadfoot and someone else who is escaping my mind...**

**Jackie: Why is it so hard for me to remember things? **

**Avery: You're special. **

**Ellie: Very.**

**Avery and Jackie: GO AWAY!**

**"So she said, 'what's the problem, baby?'...Baby, I'm in love." -Counting Crows**

* * *

><p>"Jackie, darling, come over here and help Jonathan with this!" Evy called to the girl who had pretty much just stared at the city in wonder and glee.<p>

She reattached the the Englishman's hip and began scrubbing away the dirt and grime which seemed to have a hard time coming off.

As soon as Evy believed that everything was ready, Rick climbed into a room through its roof (as the entire city had sunk underground at the command of the Pharaoh) and Jonathan helped the girls whom he followed. Last to enter was the Warden.

"What is that God-awful stench?" He commented dryly as his feet touched the ground, he looked up and muttered, "Oh."

Jackie snickered and he found his place beside her once more and as far away from the horrid man as possible. Avery just rolled her eyes and mumbled to her best friend, "If I roll my eyes again, they'll be stuck that way."

"Then don't roll your eyes."

Evy went to what looked like a giant lens—a mirror. She adjusted it and tilted it upward and said rather quietly, "And then there was light." Then the room light up as clear as day.

"Hey, that is a neat trick!"

"Oh my goodness," Evy noted, getting a good look around.

A creepy feeling came over Jackie and she shivered. "It's alright, old mum," Jonathan said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm right here to protect you."

"It's a sah-net jer."

"A what?"

"A preparation room." Avery murmured. Her brows furrowed; how did she know that?

"Preparation for what?" Rick asked, seemingly indicating the question to Avery who was too absorbed in her own questions to respond.

"For entering the afterlife." Evy taunted with a playful smile.

"Mummies, my good son," Jonathan told the confused self-proclaimed map as they began down a corridor which Evy had chosen. "This is where they made the mummies."

Avery and Jackie exchanged nervous glances, but neither felt that this was going to end well.

* * *

><p>Scratching and furious skittering brought them to a halt. Avery stood as close to Jackie as possible as her friend clutched Jonathan's arm as though he may disappear any moment. The light from the Preparation room had long since faded and they were using torches to light the hall, but there also seemed to be another light coming from above. Avery could tell the others—including Jackie—couldn't see. Slowly, a sense of <em>knowing <em>came over her. She had been there before. She swore it.

"Hey," Jackie whispered and then proceeded to speak in Spanish. "Are you alright?"

"Si," She replied quickly. "Just a little spooked."

"What was that?" Jonathan asked, a lot less scared than the girls, save for Evy who had no fear whatsoever.

"Sounds like...bugs." Rick murmured tantalizingly; such would have been perfect had Evy not ruined it by whispering loudly, _"He said bugs!"_

"The statue of Anubis," Evy murmured as the approached an ancient and massive statue with depictions carved into its base. It was quite beautiful. Avery didn't seem to be bothered by the statue; she was preoccupied staring about the room in a daze. "The secret compartment should be hidden somewhere inside here."

There was a moan and a thud and they stiffened, the noise a little too alive to be dead. They pressed themselves against the wall, inching closer to the next turn. Jonathan handed Jackie a gun and she raised it, ready to shoot whatever might pop out. Avery was shaking beside her, she could feel it. But when she looked over, her friend's eyes were looking around at the hall and the markings and pictures, not what might be around the corner. Something was wrong.

That was when Rick jumped out, followed by Jonathan, herself and the Warden, only to come face to face with the Americans and their group who all had guns pointed at them.

"You scared the crap out of us, O'Connell." Daniels muttered.

"Likewise." They lowered their guns.

Burns looked to Evy and noticed she was carrying something other than a torch, "Hey! That's my tool kit!"

"I don't think so." The guns were raised once more.

"Perhaps I was mistaken." Burns squeaked, causing the guns to lower once more. This was becoming comical and Jackie couldn't quite keep up.

"Have a nice day, gentlemen. We have a lot of work to be getting along with." Evy said calmly.

"Push off! This is our dig site." The stupid guy-in-a-fez-who-wasn't-Beni said.

"We got here first." Jackie decided she wanted to put her two cents in, but ended up just raising the guns once more.

"This here's our statue, friend." One of the Americans declared.

"I don't see your name on it pal."

* * *

><p>Avery looked to Evy who was content with something upon the ground. She had a gun on her face and was watching the ground? She looked down and saw her kick stones through a crack and heard a soft echo. There was another floor.<p>

"Your odds aren't so great O'Connell." Beni said with a devilish smile.

"I've had worse."

"Yeah, me too." Jonathan added, earning a look from both Rick and Jackie.

"Oh, look, for goodness' sake, let's be nice children." Evy said, stepping between the guns and placing a hand on Rick's arm who reluctantly lowered his. "There are other places to dig."

She must've had a plan.

Evy put them to work on the floor below, scrapping and digging a hole through the ceiling right under the statue of Anubis in their attempt to get the book she had been searching for. Jackie and Avery took turns digging while Jonathan and Rick trudged through, though Jonathan was doing the bare minimum if any.

As of now, Jackie was standing on the base of an old, small statue, reaching up and trying to pull away the stonework and then the compacted sand to reach the statue while Avery was busy walking beside the walls, her fingers tracing the hieroglyphs as she studied hem with intensity.

"We should come up right between the legs," Evy said. Jackie cast a dirty grin to Avery, but she wasn't paying attention.

"When those darn Yanks go to sleep—no offense," Jonathan said to Rick who didn't seem bothered in the least. "We'll dig our way up and steal that book right out from under them."

"Are you sure we can find this secret compartment?" Rick asked Evy.

"Oh, yes, if those beastly Americans haven't beaten us to it." She replied swiftly. "No offense."

"None taken."

"Where'd our smelly little friend get to?" Jonathan asked, looking around and noting that the Warden was no longer with them.

"Who cares?" Jackie muttered, angrily stabbing at the little gap she had made. "So long as he is gone, we can breathe freely." She got rather mad when things didn't go her way.

"Hey, Avery," Jonathan called. "Are you alright, old mum?"

She seemed startled when he called her, but she covered it so quickly, only Jackie could see. "Just fine, thank you. This is our first time doing something like this, I'm just a little shell-shocked."

"That's quite a phrase." Rick murmured. "I'll have to use it sometime."

After about fifteen more minutes, they decided to take a break and Jonathan began to teach Jackie how to play golf. Evy was explaining to Rick how someone got mummified. Avery smiled at his reaction, but cringed as a headache overcame her. The bright light hadn't gone away, and though she knew that the room had to be covered in dust and cobwebs, it didn't look like it. It looked new. What was happening to her?

"Evy, I don't think we need to know this." Jonathan said, he and Jackie taking a swing. Evy just ignored him and preceded to tell him about how they took brains out of the nose. It struck her that every time Evy described the mummification process to a specific part of the body, that part would burn—it would explain her headache and why her nose felt as though she was breathing in smoke from a fire.

"Hey, If I don't make it out of here, don't put me down for mummification." Rick said.

"Likewise." Jackie and Jonathan said in unison, then took a swing. The rock hit the ceiling and a massive rock came down, nearly crushing Evy and Rick who jumped out of the way at the last second. Avery gawked in astonishment. Why the heck did that look familiar?!

"Oh my gosh, it's a sarcophagus." Evy murmured, waving her hand in front of her face to clear away the dust and sand. "Buried at the base of Anubis. He must have been someone of great importance. Or did something very naughty."

"Something tells me it was the latter." Avery whispered.

Evy and Rick went about pulling the sand and dirt off to try and read the inscriptions while Jackie went to Avery who was leaning against the wall, staring at it in fear and wonder. "Well, who is it?" Jonathan asked, bringing the torch closer.

"He That Shall Not Be Named." Evy read slowly.

"Told you." Avery said, barely audible.

Rick blew on a certain area and said, "This looks like some sort of lock."

"Well, whoever's in there sure wasn't getting out." Jackie noted.

"Yeah, no kidding."

"The box," Avery spoke up suddenly. "The box is the key."

Evy regarded her with furrowed eyebrows, then took the box from her bag, opened it up and placed it in the lock. A perfect match. "Avery, darling, how did you know that?"

"I...I don't know."

There was screaming. They looked in the direction of a tunnel they had not yet explored and looked around. The Warden. Scrambling to their feet or to reach their weapon, they ran down the hall in search of him only to see him screech and run into the rock wall, killing himself.

Avery gasped, clutched her head and shouted something in Arabic before collapsing, unconscious.

"Avery!" Jackie cried, pulling her best friend into her arms. Tears came into her eyes, she wanted to scream.

"Jackie, stay calm, alright? It looks like she just fainted, she's going to be okay." Rick said, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Now, I'm going to carry her out and I want you to come with me so you can watch over her. Jonathan, take care of the body."

Jonathan opened his mouth to protest, but he locked eyes with Jackie and saw the tears that glistened, then sighed. He wanted to be with her to comfort her, but he had his orders and she had hers.

* * *

><p>Evy, Jonathan and Jackie sat around their campfire, nibbling on their food. Rick was off talking to the Americans and Avery's head was upon Jackie's lap while the rest of her body was wrapped in a blanket to protect her from the cold Egyptian night. It had been nearly five hours since the Warden's death and she had still not woken up.<p>

"What do you think killed him?" Jackie finally spoke up, deciding that conversation was better than silence.

Did you ever see him eat?" Jonathan asked, feigning humor though the weak smile on Jackie's face told him that now wasn't the time.

"Seems that our American friends had a little misfortune of their own today," Rick said as he took a seat beside Evy. He glanced towards Avery and sighed, he had promised Jackie that she would be okay, now he wasn't so sure. "It seems that three of their diggers, um...melted."

Jackie's eyes widened, the question formed on her lips, but the siblings beat her to it. "Salt acid." Rick replied. "Pressurized salt acid. Some kind of ancient booby trap."

"Maybe this place really is cursed." Jonathan muttered. Just then, he wind picked up and it sounded like an eery whistle. They all looked to each other and a shiver was sent down her spine.

"Oh, for goodness' sake, you three!" Evy said, a smile tugging on her lips despite the rather seriousness of the situation.

"You don't believe in curses?" Rick asked.

"No, I don't." She replied firmly. "I believe if I can see it and I can touch it, it's real. That's what I believe."

Jackie snorted, then her eyes softened, "Avery would say that you have no taste in imagination." Evy's rebuttal was cut short at the mention of Avery.

"I believe in being prepared." Rick said, taking his gun and ensuring that the bullet was ready in place.

"Let's see what our friend, the Warden, believed in." Jonathan said, reaching for his bag. Jackie rolled her eyes as he dug through it.

"Ow!" He cried out.

Rick pointed his gun towards the bag and Evy and Jackie let out a little squeal, "Oh God, what is it?!"

He looked closer, "It's just a broken bottle."

"Jonathan Carnahan, don't you dare scare me like that again!" Jackie exclaimed. Shaking her head as though to clear away the surprise.

"Sorry, old mum." He looked at the label and cried with glee, "Glenlivet. Twelve years old! Well, he may have been a smelly fellow, but he certainly had good taste!" Jackie rolled her eyes as he took a swig.

From the American's side of the camp, Jackie could hear horses whinnying and they turned towards the noise.

Out of nowhere, men in black robes upon horses descended upon the Americans. Rick sprung into action, followed by Evy who took up a gun and hid while Jonathan (who was drunk upon a single drop) was in it for himself and went to find a good place to defend his liquor. Jackie sprung up and covered Avery completely, if they didn't see her, they wouldn't touch her and went to take a gun from Rick to return to Avery and defend her.

"Rick, give me the gun, darn it!" She exclaimed and he tossed her the bag. As fast as possible, she made for Avery only to find one of the men kneeling before her friend, her face exposed and his hand lightly touched her cheek. "Hey, get away from her!" Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Avery move to seek the touch—the only movement she had seen from her since she past out.

She froze and looked up to the man who was now standing, pulling out his scimitar in preparation to fight. "Who are you?" She asked. He did not respond, she wouldn't have time to listen anyway, another one of the robed men came at her and she became preoccupied fending for her life while he slipped away—only to come face to face with Rick and start what Jackie would've called a freaking awesome showdown had she not been fearing for her life.

Rick aimed the gun at him and shot; the man deflected it with his scimitar, but it was ripped out of his hands. Rick aimed once more for the kill.

"No!" Rick fired, but Avery pushed the man out of the way and cried out in pain.

"Avery!" Jackie shouted and went to her as she choked back shouts of pain.

The man looked around, then shouted in Arabic and the men ceased to kill, leaving the scene while he stayed behind.

He walked up to Jackie, who was cradling a hissing Avery in her arms, and knelt before them. "You saved my life, why?" He asked, having Jackie lay her so that her head once again rested in her lap as he inspected the bullet wound. It only grazed her arm, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt like heck.

"You're a king," She whispered. "Your people need you." Her eyes gleamed gold for a moment, then they rolled back and she fell unconscious once more.

He reached for his belt and pulled out a pouch, handing it to Jackie, he said, "Give this to her when she wakes, it will help ease the pain." He then stood and turned to Rick. "I understand that you will move slow with her injured, but you must leave. Leave this place or die." And with that, he left.


	4. Halo

**"Everywhere I'm looking now, I'm surrounded by your embrace," -Beyonce**

* * *

><p>When Avery woke, Jackie gave her the pouch and told her to eat the contents. She nodded her thanks, ate the herb, then laid down to sleep.<p>

Evy got drunk. Jonathan was already fast asleep, having been drunk earlier and Jackie laid in his arms, content to have someone protect her even in their sleep. She could not sleep, however, and found it amusing to watch Rick try to teach Evy how to fight.

She sighed and looked over to Avery—the only one in their group who did not have a lover and the only one who was having weird experiences. How did she know that guy was a king? Why'd she recover when he touched her? Why the heck is she having a hard time being in the tomb? What the heck was going on?!

_Whatever. _She thought bitterly. _You'll figure it out in the morning. _

She was dreading the sunrise.

* * *

><p>"Shouldn't we heed his warning?" Avery asked the next morning as breakfast was passed around. "Why should we even go back into that crypt if we're supposed to be headed in the other direction?"<p>

"Because he didn't specify when we we're supposed to leave, only that we had to leave and before we do, I want to know why our guy was given such dishonor." Evy replied matter-of-factly.

"You guys are relentless." Avery scoffed, then went to sit up and stand.

"I don't think you should be standing," Rick said, placing a hand on her shoulder as though to lower her, but she remained firm.

"I'm coming with you, we're in this together and we owe it to Evy to at least be compliant." Avery said, gold flashing in her eyes as well as determination. "Don't worry, O'Connell, those herbs worked wonders. I'm perfectly fine."

"Alright, let's hop to it, then!" Evy said eagerly and they went into the tomb.

* * *

><p>"Oh, I've dreamed about this moment since I was a little girl!" Evy said as Jonathan and Rick lifted up the sarcophagus against the wall.<p>

"You dream about dead guys?" Rick asked. Jackie snickered and Avery rolled her eyes.

"Look, his sacred spells have been chiseled off." Evy said, pointing to where they should have been and not listening to O'Connell at all. "This man must have been condemned not only in this life, but in the next."

"Tough break."

"Yeah, I'm all tears." Jonathan opened the box and placed the key in the lock, turning it as Evy and Rick stepped back. "Now, let's see who's inside, shall we?"

Evy, Avery and Jackie stood in front of it, ready to behold whatever was inside. Rick and Jonathan struggled to open it. The second the lid came off, the body shot forward and they all let out a terrified scream, frightened that the mummy inside was going to jump up and walk and talk.

"Oh, Lord, I hate it when these things do that." Evy said as she approached it, her fear well behind her.

"It happens often?!" Jackie exclaimed, clutching her chest as though her heart would burst out.

No one paid attention to her, they were looking at something else. "Is he supposed to look like that?" Avery asked, her eyes narrowing to scrutinize their find.

"No, I've never seen a mummy like this before." Evy replied. "He's still—still-"

"Juicy." A trio of voices said.

"Yes. He must be more than three thousand years old and, well, it looks as if he's still...decomposing."

"Hey, look at this." Jackie said, leaning towards the lid which lay open for their viewing. She pointed to where dozens of four long scratches were dug into the stone. "I wonder..." She murmured, then put her hand in and found that they were claw marks from the man inside. "Oh, my, these marks were made with fingernails."

"This man was buried alive." Evy concluded and they all glanced towards the remains. "And he left a message." She gestured to the crude hieroglyphs that were carved into the stone as well. "Death is only the beginning."

"Uh, guys, I don't feel so hot." Avery said, leaning against the wall to support herself and placing a hand to her head.

"Come on Avery, I'm done down here, I'll take you back up." Jonathan offered, which immediately meant that Rick would go up as well to make sure that if she fainted, she would not be furthered injured and which also meant that Jackie would come as well.

* * *

><p>They were sitting around the fire once more, fighting off the cold night, Avery more so than the others, for she seemed to have taken ill.<p>

"Say, O'Connell," Daniels said as he walked by and took a seat by their fire, followed by Burns and Henderson. "What do you think these babies'll fetch back home?" He showed them the jars they had discovered.

"I hope it's worth it," Avery said dryly. "Those hold organs and fluids."

They seemed disgusted at first, then decided that the amount they'd get from them was worth more than their current sanitary state. Burns took a seat by Avery and flashed a golden smile to her; she blushed. He said, "We hear you boys found yourselves a nice gooey mummy. Congratulations."

"If you dry that fella out," Henderson said. "You might be able to sell him for firewood."

When Burns snickered at his remark, Avery scoffed, rolled her eyes and stood, moving to sit between Jackie and Rick.

"Look what I found!" Evy exclaimed excitedly.

Rick turned to Beni who was sitting to his left and said, "You're in her seat." Beni chuckled, but didn't move until he barked, "Now!"

Evy sat down, seemingly oblivious to what had just occurred and showed whatever she had found to Rick. "Scarab skeletons, flesh eaters. I found them inside our friend's coffin. They can stay alive for years feasting on the flesh of a corpse. Unfortunately for our friend, he was still alive when they started eating him."

Avery winced, instantly feeling as though a thousand bugs were biting into her flesh at the same time. What the heck had she contracted?

"So somebody threw these in with our guy and then they slowly ate him alive?" Jackie asked slowly, her happy-go-lucky nature fading more and more. Jonathan wrapped an arm around her and drew her close, instantly making her feel better.

"Very slowly," Evy replied tauntingly.

"He certainly wasn't a popular fellow when they planted him, eh love?" Jonathan said, squeezing Jackie's shoulder affectionately.

"Well, he probably got a little too frisky with the pharaoh's daughter." Rick said with a smirk, earning a few chuckles.

"Well, according to my readings," Evy said. "Our friend suffered the Hom-Dai, the worst of all ancient Egyptian curses; one reserved only for the most evil of blasphemers. In my research, I've never heard of this curse having actually been performed."

"That bad, huh?" Avery whispered, she was staring at the fire, lost in thought.

"Yes, well, they never used it because they feared it so. It's written that if a victim of the Hom-Dai should ever arise, he would bring with him the ten plagues of Egypt.

* * *

><p>"I think I'm going to hit the sack." Avery said and stood suddenly, she smiled and bid them good night before going to her cot and falling asleep upon her head hitting the pillow. She was quickly followed by the others, and Jackie found that she didn't want to be anywhere else than right there in Jonathan's arms.<p>

They were violently pulled from sleep at a scream and someone yelling, "No! You mustn't read from the book!"

Avery looked instantly to Evy who was holding a large black book and then shot a frightened glance towards Jackie. What had they done? Wind rustled loudly and they turned to look out into the desert where a mountain of bugs—_locusts—_were amassing and coming directly towards Hamunaptra.

"Oh my Lord,"

"Run!" Rick yelled and everyone, even the American's, turned and made a mad dash for the tomb in hopes of avoiding the bugs. "Go, go!"

Rick was leading them down the halls, careful and fearful of what they may have done. There was a sudden tremor and the building shook. Jackie grabbed on to Jonathan who steadied her while Evy clutched Rick. A mound of sand in front of them began to rise up on its own. They backed away from it and watched it until it reached its peak and suddenly burst, releasing hundreds of scarabs which came after them, sensing their flesh as food. They ran, but Evy tripped and fell into Avery, who, in turn, hit a wall which moved. The wall swiveled and both girls tumbled into a dark room, separated from the others.

"Avery! Evy!" Jackie yelled, but she was pulled to the side and on to a platform that was separate from the walkway the scarabs were currently using by Jonathan. They waited for the scarabs to pass before trying to find what happened to them.

* * *

><p>"Evelyn, are you alright?" Avery asked, standing and helping the librarian to her feet.<p>

"For now, yes, thank you." They froze upon hearing moaning.

Slowly, cautiously, they turned around the corner and took a breath of relief when they saw it was only Burns. "Oh, Mr. Burns," Avery said, approaching him as he stood with his back to them. "Thank goodness, we were just starting to get scared."

He turned around.

They gasped in fear and backed away. "My eyes," He seemed to be saying. "He took my eyes and tongue." There were no eyes. He was mumbling—there was no tongue. Oh, Lord.

The girls looked to each other and backed up, unsure of what to do, they turned and came face to face with a mummy. A live, walking, talking, mummy. That roared in their faces. Scared out of their minds, yet unable to flee, they backed up against the wall as it walked closer and closer towards them. They couldn't scream.

The creature looked closely at Evy and whispered, "Anck-su-namun?" He then turned to Avery and his eyes widened if such a thing were possible. "Amunet?" He reached out to touch her, but she must've pressed a button or something because she was swung around and thrown into another hallway, er, she was thrown against someone in another hallway who grunted as he was shoved to the floor.

She looked up and found herself melting into rich, dark eyes. "You." She whispered.

"You," He growled. He stood and helped her up and the momentary peace she felt fled. Her eyes widened when she remembered what had just happened and covered her mouth with her hand.

"You have to help her, Evy's trapped with that monster just behind that wall, I don't know what...and Burns! He's—he's taken his eyes and his tongue and I don't...I don't know-" Tears came into her eyes and she began to hyperventilate.

"Stay calm," He said and placed his hands on her shoulders, making her look into his eyes once more. "I'm going to take you out of here and we are going to help your friends leave. Alright?" She nodded, swallowed her cries and let him put his hand at the small of her back and lead her out of the tomb.

"What is your name?" He asked her. She thought it was a rather stupid question until she remembered that in situations like this, it was best to humanize others around you.

"Avery," She replied. "My name is Avery Jackson."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Avery Jackson, though I wish it were under different circumstances." He said and even offered her a smile. "I am Ardeth Bey."

* * *

><p>"We have to find them!" Jackie exclaimed as the men continued to search for Evy and Avery.<p>

"What do you think we're doing, love?" Jonathan asked, his patience running thin even for the one he cared for. They ran past a little opening and Jackie caught a glimpse of Evy's brown hair.

"There! They're in there!"

Rick skidded to a halt and ran into the room, grabbing her hand and trying to make her move while she remained immobile and staring. "There you are! Will you quit playing hide-and-seek? Come on, let's get out of here!" He then turned and saw the mummy that had made Jackie and Jonathan freeze in their spots. "Whoa!"

Jackie managed to get a quick look around; where was Avery?

The creature roared for a comically prolonged time at Rick and Evy. When it was finished, Rick did a comically short imitation of it and shot the creature in its head, knocking it to the ground. He then took Evy's hand and they, including the Americans, high-tailed it out of the tomb.

They stopped when a wall of the robed men that attacked them yesterday aimed rifles at them. "Jackie!" Avery cried, she came out from behind the leader of the robed men and hugged her friend, holding her tight. She then looked to the leader, her eyes pleading. He sighed, then placed a hand on the rifle beside him and they immediately lowered their weapons.

"I told you to leave or die. You refused. Now you may have killed us all," He stole a glance at Avery and she felt in that quick instant a peace she had never felt before. "For you have unleashed a creature we have feared for more than three thousand years."

"Relax, I got him." Rick said, his gun still held up to the man despite the fact that he had ordered his own men to lower their weapons.

"Rick," Avery said, shaking her head. "No mortal weapon can kill him. He is not of this world."

The leader seemed surprised at her knowledge and to be honest, so was she; but he said nothing and turned so that his men could drag the moaning body of Burns to his companions who took him. "What did you do to him?" Daniels growled.

"They did nothing!" Avery said, taking a step towards the Americans, she got a look from the leader and closed her mouth, taking a step back and then placing a hand to her head. Of all times for a headache to attack her, it picks now?

"We saved him," He said. "Saved him before the creature could finish his work. Leave, all of you, quickly, before he finishes you all. Yallah, nimshi." The other robed men went into the tomb. "We must now go on the hunt and try and find a way to kill him."

"I already told you, I got him." Rick insisted, ignoring the glare Avery sent his way.

The man sighed and turned to face Rick as though he was a child, "Know this: this creature is the bringer of death. He will never eat, he will never sleep, he will never stop."

He turned once more to enter the tomb when Avery called, "Ardeth, wait!" She ran in front of him and he looked to her with minor impatience. "Thank you, for saving me." Quickly, she kissed his cheek (much to his obvious surprise) and said, "And be careful." She then ran past him and hurried to prepare the camels to flee as fast as they possible could for Cairo.


	5. Trap of Love

**Avery: Keeper owes you all an apology-**

**Jackie: But since she's "busy," we have to do it. -_-**

**Avery: We are pretty much-**

**Jackie: Don't. Say it. Anyway, _we_ apologize for the late update as well as the lack of a note on the last chapter. That was Avery's fault. **

**Avery: I thought it was your turn!**

**Jackie: You had one job, Avery, one job!**

**Avery: You're so-**

**Jackie: Oh, and special thanks to Fanwriter1245, and LilyoftheNile! Fanwriter1245, WRITE YOUR STORY! We don't care if it's incredibly similar, WRITE IT! Maybe you'll be kinder to your characters...**

**Avery: Okay, I think we've done enough. Keeper only owns us OCs. **

**"Trap of love, burned by your fire, trap of love, snared by desire," -The Hex Girls (Bonus points if you know what show/movie series they're from!)**

* * *

><p>When they reached Evy's little flat in the military base in Cairo, it looked as though a thunderstorm was brewing.<p>

Rick and Evy were fighting while Jonathan and the Americans were down at the bar, drowning their sorrows in liquor. Avery and Jackie sat on a bed; they hadn't said a word to each other since Hamunaptra.

"I want to go home." Jackie whispered. "You're really starting to scare me."

"I'm starting to scare myself." She replied. "But we can't leave, at least not until this is over. I don't even think I want to leave."

"What do you mean?" Avery just gave a weak smile and looked at her feet. "Ardeth! You love him!"

"I don't know!" She insisted. "I just feel that there is a connection I have with him. I mean, you said so yourself that nothing could wake me when I past out, but he touched me and I just took a bullet for him."

"It could've been a coincidence!"

"I don't know, I don't know! It doesn't matter anyway, he's probably dead." She murmured. "I do know that we have to help. We have no where to go, we don't have anyone we can turn to and we can't get home."

"Don't you want to see your family again, Avery?" Jackie asked. "Don't you want to see your parents or Meg or your niece and nephew?"

"What family?" Avery sneered. "Meg and her family rarely come back because it is so dangerous to travel. My real parents are dead and my foster parents adore when I am not there. You may have a family who loves you to bits, but the only person who cares for me ditched me for a better life and I don't blame her. I'll do my best to help you get home, Jackie because you are pretty much my sister, but I am not going with you." She stormed away and just the image of her managed to get Rick and Evy to shut up for a moment and cast a concerned look towards Jackie who had tears in her eyes and no one to comfort her.

Jackie went downstairs and decided to join the men in drowning her sorrows in liquor, although apparently, she was incapable of getting drunk in this time. Such didn't stop her from trying. She sat by Jonathan and though he poked and pried, she did not tell him anything. Eventually, Rick joined them and he was talking to a British military man, Winston or something of the sort. He seemed to be upset that he hadn't died in World War l. _Well, I suppose we all have our problems. _She thought bitterly and took another drink.

"I say, I've never seen you drink so much, love, are you sure everything's alright?" Jonathan asked, eyeing her warily.

"Ask Avery, she'll give you a chapter book and then some." She replied blandly.

"Well, we're all packed up, but the darn boat doesn't leave till tomorrow morning." Daniels said as he took a seat next to Jonathan. Henderson decided to sit by Rick.

"Tail set firmly between your legs, I see." Jonathan muttered, probably attempting to get her to smile again, but she was being stubborn and no one can get around a stubborn Jackie...save for Avery, of course.

"You can talk," Daniels scoffed. "You don't have some sacred walking corpse after you."

"How's Burns?" Jackie asked, finally opening her mouth and speaking quietly, as though the old Jackie, the original, was coming back.

"He had his eyes and tongue ripped out," Henderson said. He spoke as though Burns was a brother to him, and by the way they acted around each other, Jackie guessed that they probably felt that way. "How would you be?" Apparently, he was kind of ticked at them. Whatever. She turned around to look at the rather beautiful craftsmanship and took another drink, only to choke on its metallic taste and spit it out at exactly the same time as the others. People around the room were all spitting whatever they were drinking.

"It tasted just like..." She paused, thinking of the right word when the fountain once again caught her eye. Except, the water wasn't water anymore, it was a dark red. It was... "Blood."

"'And the rivers and waters of Egypt ran red and were as blood.'"

"He's here."

* * *

><p>Avery was walking around, admiring the scenery, talking to men in uniform and generally trying to take her mind off of what had just happened to her and her best friend—her sister. She felt genuinely bad about how she treated Jackie, who didn't deserve her anger though she got it more often than not. Nothing was her fault, yet she often paid for it. Ugh, everything was so messed up.<p>

"Look out!"

Avery barely had time to register that whoever shouted was actually talking to her before she was knocked to the ground and out of the way of a massive—no joke—fireball. Her rescuer dragged her out of the open and pressed her against the wall, shielding her from the oncoming balls of flame as they slowly inched towards and door and threw themselves inside. Finally, she was able to get a look at him.

"_You!" _

"Forgive me, but I somehow recall exchanging names in your time of panic." He replied rather harshly. Her eyes narrowed into a dangerous glare.

"Fine, _Ardeth,_ if you wish me to spout my anger to you by name, so be it." He raised an eyebrow; having just saved her life, he truly had no idea why she was angry. "Because of you, my life is so messed up, I just pretty much denounced the girl I consider my sister. I would've been perfectly fine recovering from my panic attack all by myself until _you_ came into the picture and cost me my credibility, my friendship and my sanity!"

"I'd also expect a better form of thanks for saving your life than this." He muttered, looking around the hall. It was the museum that Evy worked at, that was where he had pushed her to safety.

"Thanks for saving my life, but I rather wish you hadn't."

He turned around so abruptly, she ran into his chest and very nearly fell on the floor, though she somehow managed to hold her ground. "What do you mean? You would have had me let you die?"

"Well, that seems like the only good option right about now."

"Death is never the answer to problems," He said sternly. He was staring into her eyes, seemingly searching for something and she felt extremely awkward. "Your eyes," He finally said. "They're quite unique."

"Uh, thanks, I guess." She murmured. Did she really just get a compliment on her eyes from a guy she was about ready to murder a few seconds ago?

He reached up and gently caressed her cheek with his thumb, "Forgive me," He whispered. "But I have never felt this way for another before." She seemed to be falling into the pits of his own beautiful eyes when his words struck her.

She pulled away and shook her head, "No, not again. _Never _again." She shook her head and began to walk rather fast down the hall, hoping to find Rick or Evy or even Jackie—someone who could help her get away from him.

"I didn't intend to offend you," He said and she could tell he was coming after her. What the heck had struck him so that he had become attached?

"It's not your fault," She insisted, merely turning her head to acknowledge him. "I'm just not stepping into this trap. I've had it with men." _I'll just adopt my children and such will be enough. _

She went to open the door to a room to find it opened when she reached for the knob. In her face was a freaking three thousand year old corpse inside a black cloak, staring at her in surprise.

She shrieked.

Flinging herself back, Ardeth caught her before she tripped and fell on to the marble, her eyes wide with horror of the creature that she had very nearly touched. He held her tight and right then, she was not at all opposed to it, for he was the only thing protecting her from that monster.

"Amunet," The creature said. "Step away from that vile Med-Jai." She had no idea how she understood him, but she knew he was not speaking English. What was happening to her?

"Amunet?" Ardeth whispered, then looked down at her, shock and realization crashing down upon him. "Oh, no."

The creature roared and stepped towards them; Avery closed her eyes and turned her face into Ardeth's chest, hoping and praying to be spared. There was a burst of wind and dust and sand suddenly flew everywhere. She looked up once again and there was Jackie, holding a cat and staring at the spot where the creature had been with wide-eyed horror. "I'm so sorry." She whispered to Avery.

"I'm sorry, too."

* * *

><p><em>Earlier<em>

It didn't feel right, just letting Avery run free in her anger. She had been walking around with Evy, who managed reading a book and helping her deal with her problems at the same time. She sighed, "I'm going to find her."

"Oh, Evelyn!" Just as she was about to take her first step in her search for her friend, Rick came running from behind. "We've got problems." Thunder roared and stole their attention, though it wasn't a natural thunderstorm—they soon found that out when it began raining massive balls of fire.

"Holy Lord."

Rick hurried them into an alcove that had so far been spared the flames when there was a slight whimper behind her. She turned to see Beni running up the stairs in his attempt to flee Rick who had already pinned him to the wall faster than she could think. "Beni, you little stink weed, where you been?"

In the distance, some inhumane creature roared.

"Ow!" She turned back to Rick, to find him clutching his gut where Beni had no doubt just jabbed his elbow. He did the best to ignore him before taking Evy by the hand, who in turn to her hand, and virtually dragged them up the stairs and into the living room, safe from-

The creature was there.

So was the body of Mr. Burns.

Evy gasped and Jackie felt her mind go foggy; oh, no. She couldn't faint. She had to stay awake, she had to stay coherent, otherwise it would mean her life.

"We are in serious trouble."

Rick opened fire on the mummy and upon hearing the gun shots, Jonathan and the Americans entered, staring in shock at the beast who knocked Rick aside and into the men and toppling them as though they were bowling pins.

He approached Evy, seemingly ignoring Jackie who had frozen stiff, and he leaned forward, looking as though he were to kiss her when the sound of a piano came out. The thing looked over and saw Evy's cat. It screamed in shock, then turned into a whirlwind of sand and disappeared.

"We have to find Avery," Jackie whispered, then ran like her worst fear was behind her, though it was likely in front of her by now.


	6. Blown Away

**"Dry lightning cracks across the sky, those storm clouds gather in her eyes. Daddy was a mean-old mister..." -Carrie Underwood**

* * *

><p>"Evy, why are we here?" Jonathan asked as they walked down the halls of the Museum of Antiquities—the very same place where the girls had met Evy what seemed like years ago.<p>

"There's only one man who could possibly have the answers to our questions." She replied, not even sending a glance back. Ardeth had disappeared as quickly as he came and such was really starting to bug Avery, but she pushed it to the back of her head and followed her until, BOOM! There he was, speaking to the curator.

"You?!" Evy and Avery exclaimed at the exact same time, then they asked in unison (though with different emotions,) "What are you doing here?" She hadn't even noticed that anyone with a gun—including Jackie—had drawn their guns and were aiming at the two men.

"Would you really like to know," The Curator asked. "Or would you prefer to just shoot us?"

"After what I just saw I'm willing to go on a little faith."

They lowered their guns.

"We are apart of an ancient secret society," He began when they all got cozy in the props used to display scenes from ancient Egypt. Avery sat on a crate and forced her eyes open; she couldn't remember the last time she had slept, but she was pretty sure it was the last time she had passed out. "For three thousand years we have guarded the City of the Dead. We are sworn at manhood to do any and all in our power to stop the High Priest Imhotep from being reborn into this world."

"Because of you, we have failed." Ardeth interrupted, heated anger in his voice.

Jonathan was playing with a wax figure of Seti l and she rolled her eyes, whacking him and whispering, "Not now, the destruction of the world just got pinned on us."

"You think this justifies the killing of innocent people?" Evy questioned, clearly outraged.

"To stop this creature?" The Curator asked. "Let me think. Yes!"

Avery snorted and rolled her eyes, resisting the ever persistent urge to rub her eyes. "Question," Rick said, raising his finger like a school child. "Why doesn't he like cats?"

"Cats are the guardians of the Underworld, he will fear them until he is fully regenerated." He replied. Ardeth seemed to inch closer to her, and she sat up straighter in hopes that she could maintain her facade. "Then he will fear nothing."

The Americans voiced their complaints while the tanned Egyptian knight knelt beside her so his lips were close enough for only her to hear his whisper. "You do not look well, if you need to go rest we will not stop you."

"Thanks for your concern," She said dryly. "But I'm fine."

He did not acknowledge her answer nor tried to persuade her otherwise.

"When I saw him alive at Hamunaptra he called me Anck-su-namun," Evy said. "And then just now he tried to kiss me."

"He also called me Amunet," Avery said, raising her hand and feeling childish. "If that's of any significance."

Ardeth and the Curator exchanged wary glances at each other. "It is because of his love for Anck-su-namun that he was cursed." The Curator replied. "Apparently, even after three thousand years-"

"He is still in love with her." Ardeth finished; he stole a glance at Avery, one she failed to see, but those around her did not.

"Yes, that is very romantic, but what has it got to do with me?" Evy insisted.

"Yes, and please tell me 'Amunet' is just an Egyptian insult."

Ardeth's eyes grew soft with sadness. Shoot. "He must be once again trying to raise his love from the dead and it appears he has already chosen his human sacrifice...and his heir."

"'Heir'?"

"It was not uncommon for men to have more than one wife and though Anck-su-namun was his greatest love, she was not his first." Ardeth explained. "Amunet was his most beloved daughter of his first love who he wished nothing but prosperity and happiness."

Everything grew quiet, so Avery spoke in but a whisper, "And, what happened to Amunet?"

"She fell in love with a Med-Jai," The Curator explained. "And they planned to run away with him, though after word got out of Imhotep's betrayal, they thought her apart of the conspiracy and condemned her to be mummified alive...at the hands of her lover."

She gasped and looked around at them—so that was why everything in the tomb seemed so familiar; that's why it hurt her when Evy described the process of mummification and that's why she knew so much about everything even though she wasn't supposed to.

"Bad luck, old mums." Jonathan murmured.

"On the contrary, it may just give us the time we need to kill the creature." The Curator said, looking at Avery and Evy in deep thought.

"We will need all the help we can get." Ardeth was looking up at the skylight and all the others followed his lead to witness an eclipse that locked their world in night during day. The room grew to rely upon the torches and candles and lamps, which cast eery shadows upon the walls.

"'And he stretched forth his hand towards the heavens, and there was darkness throughout the land of Egypt.'"

* * *

><p>Avery felt a little less safe without Ardeth and the Curator, but she did not bother to raise her concern as they spoke about in Evy's sitting room, the Americans, O'Connell, Jonathan, Evy, Jackie and she. They had been discussing what to do—how to stop Imhotep—while, as usual, she and Jackie were sitting in the corner, having their own discussion.<p>

"So, daughter of Imhotep, do I have to watch what I say from now on or risk losing my tongue?" Jackie asked, offering a half-smile though the joke was ruined by the memory of Burns.

"You don't have anything to worry about, Jacqueline," She said with an eye roll. "Nothing should change between us just because we were thrown into a horror story back in time."

"Of course not, why would that change anything?"

"O'CONNELL, WHAT ON EARTH DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!" Evy shrieked so loud she thought that the numerous military personal around the building would have heard her and burst in. The girls jumped up in surprise as Rick carried Evy over his shoulder and into the room.

"HENDERSON, WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING?!" Avery shouted twice as loud as Evy as the American attempted to do the same with her as Rick had done, though she fought harder. Daniels grabbed her hands and Henderson took her legs, tossing her into the bed and on to Evy as they scrambled to come out of the room before Rick closed the door.

"What was that about?!" Jackie shouted in surprise.

"Sorry, love, I meant to include you the explanation," Jonathan replied. "But we had planned on keeping the girls in that room so that they can't be taken by Imhotep while we go to find the Egyptologist."

"You two will stay here and watch. No one gets in, no one comes out." Rick said, grabbing Daniels by his collar. "Right?"

"Right."

"Wait, what about me?" Jackie asked, a pout on her face.

"You're coming with us." Jonathan replied rather quickly.

"No, I want to stay with Avery."

"IF YOU DON'T OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW I SWEAR I WILL SKIN YOU ALIVE AND BURN YOUR FACE AND-!"

"Okay, I'll come with you."

* * *

><p>"So the Egyptologist is the guy that has a fez, but isn't Beni or the Curator, right?" Jackie asked as they pretty much sprinted down the hall in search of his office.<p>

"You got it, doll." Jonathan huffed.

"Here, this is where they said it would be," Rick said and decided to saunter in. The room was a wreck, like a tornado had ripped through just the room. They looked over to the desk and found Beni, digging through drawers. "Well, well, well, let me guess. Spring cleaning."

Rick had him in the air, threatening to shred his brains to bits by holding him up to the ceiling fan in less time than it took for Jackie to blink. "You came back from the desert with a new friend, didn't you, Beni?"

"What friend?" The stupid man asked. "You are my only friend."

"What are you doing with this creep? What's in it for you?"

"It is better to be the right hand of the devil than in his path. As long as I serve him, I am immune."

Jackie's eyes narrowed at that; she went up to him and said in her darkest voice, "Bring him down for a second O'Connell." Having never heard her so mad before, he obliged and she punched Beni across his face harder than she had ever punched anything before, earning a good smack and a cry of surprise and pain. "Alright, you can continue."

"Remind me not to get on your bad side." Jonathan whispered. She smirked; Avery would be so proud.

"Immune from what?" O'Connell continued. Beni said something in Hungarian, probably a fancy Hungarian swear word. "What did you say?"

"I don't want to tell you. You'll just hurt me some more."

Well, that was true. Everyone wanted to hurt him, in truth.

"What are you looking for? And try not to lie to me."

"Yeah, he's in a pissy mood."

"The book!" The Hungarian cried. "The black book they found at Hamunaptra. He wants it back! He said to me it would be worth its weight in gold!"

"What does he want the book for?" Jackie asked as Rick lowered Beni.

"Oh, come on, I don't know." He raised him back towards the fan.

"Something about bringing his dead girlfriend back to life, but that's all. He just wants the book, I swear!" He was lowered. "Just the book, I swear...and your sister and your friend. But other than that-"

The sound of a horrified cry came from outside followed by the unique roar of the monster.

Beni kneed Rick in his jewels and jumped out of the window. They hurried over and looked out to find the shriveled body of the Egyptologist beside a more human looking Imhotep who held one of the jars the Americans had found as well as the book. The creature locked eyes with them and Jackie's eyes widened in horror.

It opened its mouth and out came a swarm of bugs. As the swarm came towards them, they closed the windows. "That's two down, two to go-"

"And then they'll be coming after Avery and Evy."

* * *

><p>Evy had pretty much talked Avery to sleep when they tried to find something to do in their God-forsaken chamber. Her sleep-filled eyes opened slowly and she found that Evy had climbed into her own bed and was fast asleep.<p>

She rubbed her eyes and looked around, wondering where Jackie was and if she was okay and if she was ever going to see Ardeth again. She shook her head and sighed, then movement caught her attention. Was that..._sand_ coming from the keyhole in the door?

Her eyes widened in realization and she hastily shifted into a more comfortable position to pretend she was asleep.

There was a gust of wind and she could _feel_ another presence in the room. She felt him brush the curtain of hair that had fallen in front of her face behind her ear and then felt fingertips run over her face as if he didn't believe she was there. "Amunet," He whispered, so close that she nearly flinched. He was speaking in Ancient Egyptian, but she somehow understood him. "Forgive me." She then felt a kiss upon her brow and then he left and went towards Evy.

She opened her eyes ever so slightly and heard him whisper, "Anck-su-namun," before he kissed Evy upon her lips.

Unable to contain herself, her eyes widened and she gasped just as the doors burst open and in came Rick, Jonathan and Jackie. "Hey!" Rick shouted. "Get your ugly face off of her!"

Imhotep did not seem surprised or frightened at all, instead, he looked to Avery who was now standing in the corner as far away from him as possible. "Amunet," He said, stretching his hand out to her. Her throat seemed to close and she started having a hard time breathing.

Clutching her throat, she tried to breath but found that nothing could get past whatever was blocking it. Faintly, she heard Rick say, "Look what I got." And saw him raise the stupid white cat for Imhotep to see. Naturally, he freaked out and turned into sand, flying out of the room like no big deal, but she didn't pay attention to that.

She felt herself hit the ground and her limbs freeze. She saw Jackie running towards her, fear and concern etched on to her face, just before she blacked out for what must've been the hundredth time.


	7. Love Story

**Avery: HA!**

**Jackie: Shut up.**

**Avery: *sing-song voice* You forgot to do the last chapter!**

**Jackie: Real mature. You do realize we only have ten, maybe eleven, chapters that we get to talk on and we missed two of them, right? **

**Avery: ...Yes. **

**Jackie: What?**

**Avery: Nothing...**

**Jackie: TELL ME!**

**Avery: NEVER! *flees* DRINK UP ME HEARTIES, YO HO!**

**"Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone, I'll keep waiting all there's left to do is run," -Taylor Swift**

* * *

><p>Avery was lying on the ground, her eyes a freaky shade of gold and staring blankly out, her body was limp. "Oh, God, oh, God, please no!" She cried as she went to her and directly felt for a pulse. "Oh, thank God, she's alive." After a little bit more of thought, she added, "We have to get her to Ardeth."<p>

Knowing exactly what she meant, Rick and Jonathan went about starting the car and locating Daniels—the last American.

That sounded so stupid seeing as she and Avery were of the same nationality, yet it was the truth and it did kind of have a cool ring to it. They hurried back to the Museum and while Rick carried Avery bridal style, they searched for Ardeth who was certain to be with the Curator.

Finally, they found him.

"Ardeth, please, you have to help her, you're our only hope." Jackie begged as Rick laid Avery upon a blanket, resting her head upon a pillow that had been brought from one of the displays by Evy.

He knelt before her and grasped her limp hand, gazing into her eyes which they had not closed and therefore still gazed back without meaning. The Curator watched intently at what he did, a little more interested than he ought to be.

Ardeth closed her eyes with his hand and murmured something in Arabic. He looked up to them and said, "Time runs short, you must do what you came here for and I will do all I can for her."

They nodded and ran upstairs, but the Curator lingered and Jackie went to hide behind a pillar to hear what they said.

"You love her, don't you?" The Curator asked blandly, knowing the answer before the question.

"Of course I do," He murmured, stroking her cheek. From her point, Jackie could see Avery lean towards his touch, as though she was begging for him. "I have loved her for more than three thousand years."

"I hope you are happy together," The Curator said with a smile. "And that she bares me wonderful grandchildren." He winked and smiled, then ran off in search of Evy, Rick and Jonathan.

Ardeth leaned down and brushed his lips upon her forehead. "On this night, three thousand years ago in a grand palace, the same night Imhotep would kill the Pharaoh, you sent for me in my previous life and I came to your quarters. There, you told me that you wished to run away with me so that our love would not be threatened. I agreed and we were to leave the next night; but I was informed that the Pharaoh had been killed by your father and that by seeing you, I had neglected my one duty.

"As a result, I thought you were in league with your father and had kept me away so that he could kill him, so it was upon my hand that you were condemned to death. There is no greater a weight upon my heart that doing that to you, so I hope that in doing all I can for you now, you can begin to forgive me for my unforgivable crime; for even after all this time, I have loved and will only love you." He leaned in and locked his lips upon hers, dancing across as a waltz of beauty that slowly drew a surprised Avery from her slumber, who did not know what to think at first before succumbing to the kiss and closing her eyes.

"_Imhotep, Imhotep,"_

"What's that?" Jackie asked out loud unintentionally. Avery and Ardeth looked up to her, their eyes wide in realization. She just scoffed, "Do you really think I would tell anyone?"

"Jackie! Come on, love, we have to get the car started!" Jonathan exclaimed, taking her arm and dragging her half way to the exit before she could gain her footing which scared the daylights out of Jonathan.

"JONATHAN CARNAHAN, MY DEAD BEST FRIEND JUST CAME BACK TO LIFE! SOME PEACE, PLEASE!"

"No, it's alright, you should go, as well, Avery," Ardeth said.

"No, I'm staying with you," She replied firmly, taking his arm. "I won't lose you again."

"You won't, we shall join you in a moment but I must speak with the others quickly," When she sent him a look, he cupped her face and kissed her brow, "I don't wish to lose you either, but we both must sacrifice our time together in order to ensure the survival of the world."

She sighed, "Well, when you put it that way, let's go!"

Avery and Jackie had never seen Jonathan run so fast in his life. "Uh, Jackie, what exactly is chasing us?"

"I don't-"

"_Imhotep, Imhotep,"_ The chant grew louder and they froze stiff, staring wide-eyed at a mob of men covered in boils and sores carrying weapons. Needless to say, they screamed. Or at least, they did so until Jonathan covered their mouths, became stiff and started to chant and walk slowly as well. Whether by genius or stupidity, the mob ceased its violent behavior and the three managed to make it to the car unscathed.

"Let's go, let's go, let's go!" Henderson shouted as he and the others made a run and jump into the car. However, they did not go unnoticed, for as they entered the vehicle, stupid Beni shouted from the door to the museum, "Imhotep!"

The half-dead mummy-man thing looked down upon them and roared.

Rick pointed at Beni with a death glare, "You're gonna get yours, Beni! You hear me? You're gonna get yours!"

The shrivel sneered, "Like I haven't heard that one before!"

Jackie grabbed hold of a wrench at the bottom of the car and hurled it at him, striking him upon his head with surprising accuracy.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side," Avery muttered with a smile. Jackie shook her head, unable to keep the grin off of her own face.

The mob continued to follow them, though they were making pretty good time...until a good hundred of them sat in front of them, waiting to get hit with the car. Which was exactly what Rick did.

In the psychotic scene, Henderson was ripped away from the car and dragged over to Imhotep just as the car rounded the corner. "Oh, God, oh, God, oh God, we're gonna die!" Jackie hissed to Avery as they sat in the middle, whacking away the plagued Egyptians with whatever they could find.

"Why on Earth did you let go of that wrench?!"

Eventually, the car crashed into a fountain and their group was forced into a corner where the girls were kept behind the men as the circle parted to reveal a completely regenerated Imhotep and his little arse, Beni.

Imhotep was speaking to them, but was only understood by the Curator, Ardeth, Evy and Avery. Beni "translated" for them. "Come with me, my queen, my princess, it is time to make you mine and keep you with me, forever."

"'For all eternity,' idjit," Avery sneered.

"Alright, looks like Bobby Singer is making some unexpected appearances,"

"Shut up, Jackie,"

"Take my hands, and I will spare your friends," Beni translated again. Imhotep looked from Ardeth to Avery and then added, "And your lover."

"Oh, dear,"

"Oh, shivic,"

Jackie held on to Avery's arm for dear life, "Anybody got any bright ideas?"

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking," Rick insisted.

"You better think of something fast, because if he turns me into a mummy, you're the first one I'm coming after," Evy informed him. There were probably simpler ways to say 'I love you.'

Avery and Evy stepped forward and stood beside Imhotep who wrapped his arms around them. Rick pulled out a weapon and pointed it at the mummy-thing while Ardeth unsheathed his blade. "No, don't!" Avery cried, pleading tears in her eyes. The Curator took hold of Ardeth and muttered something in Arabic which made him put his weapons down.

"He still has to take us to Hamunaptra to perform the ritual," Evy explained.

"She's right," Ardeth growled, still unhappy. "Live today, fight tomorrow."

Slowly, Rick put the gun away. "I'll be seeing you again,"

"Jonathan," Avery called as she was turned away and walked into the crowd. "Take care of Jackie for me! No nutella until I get back!"

Beni approached Jonathan and Jackie, but he was only there to take the key that Jonathan still somehow managed to keep. Imhotep shouted once more, "Kill them all!"

"NO!" Avery's cry rose above all other noise. "NO, let go of us!"

"Goodbye, my friend," Beni muttered as the crowd moved in.

"Come here, you little-" Rick growled, but the mob kept him at bay.

They were running out of options—fast. Jackie looked around desperately which led her to notice the manhole. "Wait til Ellie hears this," she muttered. "Rick, help me pull this off!"

"What about my sister?" Jonathan asked as Rick helped him into the drain.

"We're gonna get them back, go!" Jackie was next, followed by Rick and then Ardeth. The lid was shut.

"Where's the-"

"Dead," Ardeth said firmly, with only the slightest hint of emotion. "He wanted to give us a chance, let's not waste it."


	8. Heavy In Your Arms

**Avery: So... Keeper forgot about this chapter...**

**Jackie: Sorry for those who were confused about this and those who aren't, ignore us!**

**Avery: Please enjoy! Keeper only owns us OCs! **

**Jackie: Baldor is still concerned about that.**

**Avery: That's his problem!**

**"I was a heavy heart to carry, my beloved was weighed down. My arms around his neck, my fingers laced a crown. I was a heavy heart to carry, my feet dragged across the ground and he took me to the river where he slowly let me drown." -Florence and the Machine**

* * *

><p>Jackie woke up, her head resting on Jonathan's shoulder as they pulled into a Royal Air Force air field. Her cheeks were tight and salty from the many tears she had shed the night before. Thoughts of Avery swept through her mind incessantly. "We'll get her back, love," Her British accomplice murmured halfheartedly beside her. "I promise."<p>

Ardeth climbed out of the car and helped Jackie out, nodding a silent, 'I'm going to kill him to get her back; you can help' as he did.

"Morning, Winston, a word?" Rick asked. Oh, Winston, he was the guy at the bar who took Jonathan's drink. Jackie smiled for the first time since witnessing Ardeth and Avery's kiss.

To be honest, she kind of zoned out while Rick explained, but was well aware when he was done because the, Lord bless him, pilot decided to shout in her ear. "What's your little problem got to do with His Majesty's Royal Air Corps?"

"Not a darn thing," Rick replied, shaking his head.

Winston's eyes widened and his ears perked, "Is it dangerous?"

"You probably won't live through it," Jackie muttered.

"By Jove, do you really think so?" He questioned giddily. Jackie sent him an 'are you kidding me, where were you at the beginning of this?' look.

"Everybody else we've bumped into has died. Why not you?" Jonathan explained, hesitantly placing an arm around Jackie's shoulders.

"What's the challenge, then?"

"Rescue the damsels in distress, kill the bad guy and save the world." Rick replied nonchalantly. He only did it every other weekend.

"Oh!" The pilot laughed. "Winston Havelock, at your service!"

* * *

><p>"O'CONNELL, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Jackie screeched at the top of her lungs from where she was strapped in beside Jonathan to the wing of the plane.<p>

Rick promptly ignored her and looked to Jonathan, "You alright?"

"Do I bloody look alright?!"

Jackie shook her head and looked around, her eyes on a tornado made of sand, feeling very small and very exposed to its wrath.

* * *

><p>Little did Jackie know that the sandstorm was actually a mode of transportation for Evy, Beni, Imhotep and Avery, the first two and the latter of whom were thrown into a pile together.<p>

"GET OFF!" Avery shouted and instantly, Beni was off of the two women who were helping each other up.

"I need a new job," The stupid little man muttered.

"Oh, God," Evy whispered as Imhotep walked past them. "We're back." Avery looked up in astonishment and blinked several times before confirming that they were, in fact, at Hamunaptra. The hum of a whirring airplane drew their attention.

"O'Connell,"

"Jackie...and Ardeth."

Was it really necessary for Imhotep to roar again? Regardless, it brought up another sandstorm baring his idiotic face which stormed (no pun intended) after the plane.

* * *

><p>"Oh,"<p>

"My,"

"Gosh,"

"Winston, pedal faster!"

"Hang on, men!"

Jackie felt her stomach drop as they lurched forward, the threadbare buckles holding them in shifting under the strain of their weight as an honest to goodness scream was ripped from her throat. She heard the battle cry of Rick O'Connell and then the many shots of bullets shredding through the air which fired in time with the erratic beat of her heart. Then she was swallowed by the sand creature.

* * *

><p>"Stop it, you'll kill them!" Avery exclaimed.<p>

"That's the idea," Beni muttered. Rage coursed through Avery's eyes and she threw one good punch, catching him in his jaw and tossing him to the ground.

"That's for Jackie," She murmured, shaking her hand; when she looked for Evy, she found her British lips pressed against those of her dead-mummy-father-creature-thing. She really didn't care anymore, as long as they ended up alive, she was content.

* * *

><p>"Here I come, laddies!" Winston cackled into the sand and Jackie closed her eyes tight; and then, out of the pit of doubt, they rose from the sand...and then crash landed, but hey, at least they were alright!<p>

Slowly, carefully, they all extracted themselves from the plane and removed their helmets. Ardeth had a severely messed up head of hair, so she could only imagine what her greasy mess was like.

She felt a tug on her sleeve and looked over to find Jonathan still hanging upside down on the plane wing beside her. "Um, excuse me, a little help would be useful if it wasn't too much trouble!"

"Please don't yell in my face again," She said as she helped him down. Clutching his collar, she yanked him closer and flashed him a deadly glare, "Ever."

"Hey, Winston," Rick said as he waddled over to the cockpit. He checked his pulse, and frowned. Jackie closed her eyes but didn't cry. A) he had made her fly on the wing of his plane and nearly killed her. B) she had seen enough death within the last two or three or however many days to last her a lifetime. Though sad, it does become easier to bare—especially if they were never as important to you like a sibling, a sister.

The plane creaked and the three of them hurried away while Ardeth helpfully shouted, "Quicksand, get back!"

Why the heck was there quicksand in the middle of the desert? Is that even possible?

Why was she even questioning it, of course there was quicksand. She and Avery had been pulled into a movie, had fallen in love with movie characters and were hunting a mummy who had taken a character and Avery. Why did she even bother to think anymore?

So she watched as the plane sunk beneath the sand and didn't even roll her eyes when Rick saluted to the dead pilot. And then they were walking. Hurray for more walking.

* * *

><p>"I love the whole, sand wall trick, it was beautiful." Beni said as Imhotep passed him. "Bastard."<p> 


	9. It's Not Over

**Jackie: I promised myself I wouldn't cry!**

**Avery: Don't. We still have one more chapter to go...**

**Jackie: Oh yeah...wait...this is your last chapter. How are you not freaking out?**

**Avery: Oh, I'm not Avery. My name's Lizzie and I'm aspiring actress. I was hired by Avery to play her because she was...having a breakdown. **

**Jackie: That explains a lot. Keeper only owns us OCs...and apparently Lizzie. **

**"Let's start over, I'll try to do it right this time around. It's not over...this love is killing me but you're the only one. It's not over." -Daughtry **

* * *

><p>Being back in the tomb made Avery want to faint, but she held in the bile and walked proudly beside Evy. Until Beni decided to stand beside her, in which case she vomited on the ground "beside" his shoes. "I told you," Evy said with a triumphant smile, briefly glancing down at his feet. "Nasty little fellows always get their comeuppance."<p>

Avery closed her eyes in mild annoyance and gratefulness and she had taken Beni's angered eyes off of her. _Come on, Jackie,_ She thought. _Move your arse! Pick up the pace! I don't intend to die in a movie!_

* * *

><p>"I'd take those bigger stones first," Jonathan suggested as Jackie, Rick and Ardeth went to work clearing away the stone that had magically placed itself in their path. "Take them from the top, otherwise the whole thing will cave in on us. Come on, put your backs into it."<p>

Rick went up first, then Ardeth, and then Jackie, all gifting Jonathan with a variety of angered looks to have his choice of. "I'm going to hurt you," she growled.

"Right, uh, you've got the idea. Chop-chop?" He chuckled, tugging at his collar.

Jackie ignored any other comment Jonathan made until the stones were pulled away, and by that time he was just crying for attention. Literally. Screaming, really, which didn't bother Jackie in the slightest until he yanked up the arm of his shirt and revealed a beetle-sized object scrambling up his arm _inside his skin._

"Whoa!" Rick exclaimed. "Hold him!" Ardeth held Jonathan firmly and Jackie froze upon seeing the knife come out from Rick. She did the only thing she could think to do in that situation and...kissed Jonathan.

It was quite romantic until a gun sounded and the shell of the horrific bug was the only thing that remained of their ordeal.

* * *

><p>The gunshot made Avery, Evy and Beni jump where they stood, practically waiting for death to come to them. Evy smiled and whispered, "O'Connell."<p>

Avery, who was suffering from dizziness and freaky hallucinations, thought that _she_ had been the one who was shot and fell backwards. Evy propped her up and whispered, "Uh, uh, you can't do this to me girl, you've fainted enough and I need you here."

"I'm trying," She replied. "It's not like I want to faint." At that moment, that was a lie.

Imhotep blew dust towards the wall, and no matter how hilarious that may sound, it was pretty darn scary. Especially when the mummified priests popped out of their little hiding places and decided to scare the life, or what was left of it, out Avery and Evy. "Bembridge scholars never wrote about this,"

Beni tried to use them both as a way to stay hidden from the mummies, but they refused to be a wall. Avery's eyes widened as Imhotep's order translated in her head, "Kill them and wake the others."

Well, she was going to die, anyway, she might as well die trying to help her friends. "WATCH OUT, JACKIE, HE'S GOT AN UNDEAD ARMY OF PRIESTS! DON'T DO ANYTHING-" Imhotep clamped his hand over her mouth and muttered in his special language which left, to her horror, her mouth frozen shut. The one time it mattered to faint, she couldn't get it to happen? Her luck was amazing.

* * *

><p>Jackie climbed out of the crack in the wall after Rick who had fired a bullet at one of those fancy mirror tricks, lighting up the room to reveal its hoard of treasure which made even her eyes glisten with greed and forgetfulness of the task at hand.<p>

"Can you see-" Jonathan stammered.

"Yeah," Rick said.

"Can you believe-"

"Yeah,"

"Can we just-"

"No."

They were examining their fortune when a familiar cry reached her ears, _"__Watch out, Jackie, he's got an undead army of priests! Don't do anything-" _

"Avery!" Without question, she took of running in the direction of the voice and didn't care to the shouts telling her to wait. She did, however, heed the mummy who had popped out of the ground (like daisies) and grabbed her ankle, forcing her to the ground and claiming a scream from her throat.

One well aimed shot from Rick lead to her freedom and she took hold of a nice looking scepter and ran the mummy through, hoisting him above her head and letting him slide off the scepter into the mounds of treasure far from her and her friends.

"Who are these guys?!"

"Priests," Ardeth replied. "Imhotep's priests."

The room exploded in brief gunfire and then lead to them, once more, running towards Avery's call.

* * *

><p>Avery watched in horror as an unconscious Evy was shackled to a stone slab beside a dead body, presumably Anck-su-namun. She shook her head and felt the warm tears slide down her cheeks in her silence while she was tied to a stone post farthest away from Evy, but close enough to see everything.<p>

Imhotep cupped her chin and forced her to look at him, "Soon it will be your turn, little princess."

She spat in his face.

He growled and went to slap her, but stopped and grinned darkly. "More and more like your father everyday."

"You are _not_ my father," She hissed. "You will _not _win."

"We shall see."

* * *

><p>"There he is!" Jonathan shouted as he dove for the statue of Horus. "This is where the book is!" Jackie didn't care anymore, she was clinging to her scepter and helping Ardeth and Rick take care of the undead priests who kept coming from absolutely nowhere.<p>

Rick used Ardeth's face to strike a match, used to light dynamite, which earned him a dark look. He quickly amended his wrong, "It's time to close the door." He tossed it into the tunnel and it exploded, encasing the tunnel and the mummies in rock.

* * *

><p>Undead priests circled Evy and the body and Imhotep came forward with the God darn book that had gotten them into this mess. Imhotep cast a loving look upon the horrific pieces of Anck-su-namun and then opened the book. She must have been a beauty three thousand years ago because she certainly wasn't anymore.<p>

Evy began to cry out for help and Avery shook her head, wanting more than anything to help everyone like she was supposed to do. To apologize to those she had wronged, to make right her stupid acts of young age and to say goodbye, and before all hell broke lose, she thought about what was going to happen to Evy and only had to words to describe how she felt about the delicate situation.

Hell no.

* * *

><p>While Jonathan and Rick pulled with all their manly might the little compartment under Horus' feet, the priests decided to enter another way.<p>

"Jeez, these guys just don't die."

"Keep digging," Ardeth ordered, preparing the gun he had "borrowed" from Rick. Finally, while Ardeth held them off, they were able to recover the gold book.

Very abruptly, the gunfire ceased and Ardeth turned to them with a sad look upon his face, "Kill the creature, save the girl, save Avery." He looked to Jackie. "Tell her I love her."

"What? No, wait-"

But he was already long gone.

Rick lit another stick of dynamite and tossed it reluctantly into the brawl, closing his eyes when the explosion went off and shaking his head. Jackie had tears in her eyes again. "We gotta go," Rick muttered and then pretty much dragged Jackie away.

* * *

><p>Imhotep was chanting and a black gooey figure from the dark pool had possessed the decayed body of Anck-su-namun when Avery stood, free of her chains with orbs of gold where her eyes had been, speaking in ancient Egyptian to Imhotep. "You will not succeed, father, I will not let you."<p>

"Amunet, I am pleased that you have decided to join us." Imhotep scowled, but then returned his gaze to the book. "But it is too late." He raised the dagger just as Rick, Jonathan and Jackie came running in to kill Evy when Amunet-in-Avery's-body shouted "NO!" and the knife was locked in his grip and his hand could not pass through a force field surrounding Evy.

"The Book of Amun-Ra! I found it, Evy! I found it!"

Jonathan's triumphant shouts drew all eyes to him as he raised the gold book victoriously over his head. "_You_ found it?!" Jackie exclaimed. "It wasn't just you, you numbskull!"

"Shut up and get me off of here!" Evy replied. "Open the book, Jonathan. It's the only way to kill him. You have to open the book and find the inscription."

"Well, I can't open it! It's locked or something!" They searched the book furiously, scanning the cover and spine and back. "We need the key, Evy!"

"It's inside his robes!"

Imhotep was already heading in Jonathan and Jackie's direction with a look of death in his eyes when Avery ran and skidded to a halt in his path, a sword raised. "If you want them, you'll have to go through us," She challenged, her voice sounded as though a choir was speaking in unison. Jackie and Jonathan took this as a cue to run.

He smirked at her and her eyes narrowed, "We will not hesitate to kill you,"

"I know, I find it amusing that you think you can."

A loud _snap!_ Accompanied by a _clang!_ Took their attention to Evy who had been freed from her chains by Rick O'Connell.

Fighting ensued, and while Rick and Evy were kept busy by Imhotep's undead priests, Avery/Amunet and Imhotep had a field day.

* * *

><p>"We can't just leave them out there!" Jackie shouted.<p>

Jonathan looked into the room and was dazzled by how much O'Connell could destroy in a matter of seconds. "He certainly seems to have everything under control-"

"JONATHAN!"

"Alright, alright, look, there's an inscription here. I'll read it and we'll see what happens." He eyed in with a confused expression and then stammered out, "Rasheem...Rasheem oola...Rasheem oola Kashka!"

They looked around and found a door which had opened on its own which had bore undead warriors with spears and shields.

"Oh, boy,"

"This just keeps getting better and better," Rick grumbled.

"Do something Jonathan, Jackie," Evy said shakily as she and Rick backed away from their menacing presence.

"Me?" They said in unison.

"You can command them,"

"You've got to be joking,"

"Finish the inscription on the cover!" Avery commanded, still in intense combat with Imhotep who seemed to not tire nearly as fast as she. "Then you can control them."

Anck-su-namun popped out of nowhere and began deftly swinging a sword at Evy who dodged out of the way just in time. Her strange and incredibly unhelpful appearance made Avery/Amunet lose track of what was happening at them moment, allowing Imhotep to slice a nasty gash from her knee to her ankle. Crying out in pain from the blow, it didn't help her case when her "father" shoved her over, crashing into a vase which broke opened and spilled out the dust of whatever had been inside.

Imhotep shouted something in ancient Egyptian which made everything freeze for two seconds before exploding into chaos once more. The warriors Jonathan had summoned were now under his command and were lunging for Rick or heading for Jonathan and Jackie who screamed in fear and made a dash to the furthest corner.

Rick made a stand against the three which had come to battle him and he roared in their faces. They roared back with equal strength and fear infliction. Rick just stared, his mouth hanging open as he muttered, "Uh-uh," and made a dash to anywhere but there.

"Hurry up, Jonathan!"

"I can't figure out this last symbol," Jonathan cried as they walked between statues.

"What does it look like?" Evy asked.

Jackie's eyes widened, "I know this!" She exclaimed, "I just have to remember!" Watching the movies so many times had lead her to believe that she knew almost everything there was to know. Apparently, she was wrong. Slamming her fist into the center of her forehead, she chanted, "What is it? What is it? What is it?"

"It's a, uh, a bird—a stork!"

Jackie's eyes brightened, "Ahmenophus!"

"Ah, yes, I see,"

Jackie's eyes went to Avery and she discarded everything, clutched her gold scepter tighter and stalked to Imhotep.

Imhotep walked slowly towards Avery who was covered in cuts of various sizes thanks to the vase. She glanced up to him, tears in her eyes from Amunet's memories of her father and didn't bother to reach for her sword which he kicked away instinctively.

"One last chance, daughter, join me," He said, offering his hand to her. She spit in his face. Growling, he stomped upon her wounded leg which pulled an anguished cry from her throat. Taking up a vase shard, she slammed it into his foot, ignoring the blood which ran down her hand as she watched him yell in anger. He raised his weapon to kill her, only to be disarmed—literally—by the golden (and bloody sharp) scepter. "Don't touch my sister," Jackie warned and then whacked him, sending him away for the minute.

Jackie bent down and pulled one of Avery's arms around her shoulders, hoisting her up and limping as far away as possible.

"Hootash im Ahmenophus!" Jonathan yelled and the warrior mummies froze, waiting for their next set of instructions. Imhotep twisted his arm back into his body and tried barking commands to the warriors, but they would not listen. "Fa-Kooshka Anck-su-namun!"

Finally, that darn hag was put back in her rightful place and Evy joined the girls, wrapping Avery's other arm around her shoulders which claimed a painful choke from Avery.

Angry from Anck-su-namun's death, Imhotep went to Jonathan and picked him up by his throat, meaning to kill when Rick came up from behind and once again chopped off his arm. He must've been getting tired of losing limbs like that.

Imhotep tossed Rick away and screwed his arm back on, heading to face Rick now. Evy sent a look to Jackie which told her to run to Jonathan after he had said, "Evy, I've got it."

"Keep him busy!"

"No problem,"

Jonathan fumbled with the key as they placed it in the book and opened it, hastily rushing through the pages in search of the right thing to read. "Hurry, Jonathan, hurry!" Jackie ordered as Imhotep picked Rick up and tossed him around the room some more.

"You're not helping-"

"I've got it!" Jonathan exclaimed. "Kadeesh mal, kadeesh mal. Pared oos, pared oos!" A massive blue chariot came by and ripped through Imhotep, stealing away his immortality and powers—allowing Rick to stick him through when he had the chance. Imhotep slid into the black pool where the gooey figure of death had come out of and looked to Avery, whispering in ancient Egyptian, "Death is only the beginning."

And then the whole place started rumbling and everything started to cave in on itself. Rick scooped Avery up in his arms and they ran as fast as possible while Jonathan took Jackie's hand—after he slipped and dropped the book in the black goo pool.

"You dropped the book, Jonathan!" Evy cried, outraged.

"COME ON!" Jackie grabbed her hand and they all made a break for it, running through falling sand and sliding under closing doors into the treasure room.

Jonathan stopped, "Can we just-"

"NO!"

Rick set Avery down and pushed her to the other side of the door where she crawled into a standing position, waiting for the others to join her. She thought she heard Beni, but didn't care if it was real or not. After limping for a little while longer, Rick scooped her up again and they ran like heck out of the dying city of the dead.

When they finally stopped running beside their camels, it looked as though a bomb had been dropped and when the dust cleared, there was nothing left but a desert.

Staring blankly at the sand, they panted for a few good minutes, Rick still holding on to Avery when Jonathan screamed out of fear, drawing screams from Evy and Jackie as well only to find that it was Ardeth!

"Oh! Thank you. Thank you very much!" He exclaimed, clinging to Jackie like a child.

"You've earned the respect and gratitude of me and my people," He said.

"Yes, well, it was nothing," Jonathan replied, waving his hand as if to tell him to leave.

Ardeth dismounted the camel he was riding and approached Avery who was hastily set down by Rick. "I would like you to come with me, to meet my people," He explained, but stopped when she blinked and her eyes turned completely gold once more.

She smiled warmly and said with an echoing voice, "Avery and Jacqueline are not from this time, they have a home and family that await their arrival. You ask much of her. Would you care for her unlike the way you cared for me? Would you protect her no matter the cost?"

"I would do my best," He replied firmly.

Avery/Amunet nodded and turned to Jackie. She lifted up two nearly identical necklaces of gold scarabs, one with red jewels and one with blue. "When the jewels glow, it means that you are able to travel between the worlds, though I can not guarantee that it will be often." She looked up and gestured with her head to a sandstorm that was heading their way. "That is your way home, compliments of Megara senior and Garret. If you wish to go home, enter the storm and if you wish to return, push the antennae together when the jewels glow. Avery will inform you of her choice momentarily."

She shook her head and returned to normal; they smiled knowingly to each other. "I can't go back," She whispered.

"I know," Jackie nodded. "But I have to."

Avery nodded understandingly and, with tears in her eyes, hugged her dearest friend—her sister. "To think this was all because we couldn't figure out how to work a DVD player."

Jackie laughed and then retreated, looking to Ardeth, she said, "Take good care of her, or else I will haunt you."

The storm was very close now. She turned to Evy and Rick and nodded, "You have the Jackie Smith seal of approval, good luck." Now it Jonathan's turn. Sighing, she said, "I love you-" but was silenced with a kiss to her lips.

"And I love you, but this couldn't have worked out, darling, no worries." He said with a smile and then glanced to the storm. "You better get going."

"Jonathan," She turned and handed him the scepter. "I want you to have this."

He smiled and accepted it, basking in its beauty.

She took a "few" steps away from the group and waited for the winds to take her away, the two groups waving to each other as the sands swept her into oblivion.

The last thing she saw of Egypt, 1923 was Avery and Ardeth sharing a kiss on a camel.


	10. Blue Jeans

**Jackie: IT'S OVER! IT'S DONE!**

**Avery: Nope. **

**Jackie: WHAT? **

**Avery: Keeper's decided to do The Mummy Returns and we make cameos in her other stuff. **

**Jackie: What other stuff? **

**Avery: The Pirates trilogy, The Veterans and a few other non-fanfiction things as well. Not to mention the TOP SECRET piece she's planning that includes ALL OF THE RELATED OCS! (Meaning: not Jamie, Alex, Chelsea, Danielle or the other Jackie.)**

**Jackie: Regardless, STAY TUNED FOR WHAT KEEPER HAS IN STORE! THANKS TO ANITACM, SHALMARROSE, EMZMIKAELSON, LILLYOFTHENILE, AZURE-X-ROZE, FANWRITER1245, TOPZ, SIRIUSLYPADFOOT, KADEN AND **

**Avery: Keeper only owns us OCs!**

**"But when you walked out the door, a piece of me died. I told you I wanted more, that's not what I had in mind...you just need to remember." -Lana Del Rey **

* * *

><p>Jackie sat on her bed, staring blankly at the TV screen which played The Mummy—with the addition of two new characters that had seemingly always been there.<p>

Meg Jackson knocked and opened the door quietly, taking a seat on her bed and glancing at the screen. "I don't remember my sister being in the cast list." Jackie smiled faintly and chuckled ever so lightly. "So that's what happened to her, then? She fell in love with Ardeth."

"That's about it," Jackie nodded. "How's Murtagh and Elva?"

Meg smiled, "Still getting used to little Jeremy, but otherwise, no problems. They still have yet to discover where I got the name. Elva does miss her Aunt."

"We'll see her again,"

"Oh, yes,"

"You knew all along?"

"Of course, there's more to this tale than what's written or what's shown in movies, Jackie. None of our them have ended just yet."

None.


	11. AN

**Hi guys! Big update coming at you, so stay tuned!**

** I just posted my new Pirates of the Caribbean fanfiction and would really appreciate it if you read it, but let me inform you on what's happening around here lately since I've been gone for ages. If you don't want to read the entire thing, skim through and pick the fic you're most interested in. **

**Pirates of the Caribbean: ****Featuring Fallon and Courtney Grace, the younger sisters of Rebecca Grace (from Of Sewers and Dragons,) Emily Zimmerman, Sarah's younger sister (Also OSaD) and Natalia Grace (Oh, look at that, another OSaD person.) There, they fall in love and try to avoid it and get so enthralled in the story that they damage the powers allowing all of my OCs to be where they are! This will be a trilogy.**

**The Mummy Returns:**** The second and final installment of my Mummy fanfiction features Avery Jackson, Meg's sister (another person from OSaD) and Jackie Smith (Do I have to say it? It's Ellie's sister.) This adventure is Jackie's return to Egypt for The Mummy Returns, finding that Ardeth and Avery have split up and that Avery has a big surprise that alters the course of the whole story!**

**The Legends' sequel: The Veterans: ****Featuring your favorite characters and what happened after New York. Hint: Nothing good. Chelsea was sent away for her part in Danielle's death, Alex disappeared after finding out Coulson was alive and Jamie transformed from the happy-go-luck lovable child to a dangerous McDonald's worker. Following Captain America: The Winter Soldier (so spoilers, duh) discover the secrets behind SHIELD while The Legends try to piece together a compatible team. **

**The Legends' and The Veterans' sequel: ****Yeah, I can't say much without spoiling The Veterans, so just be on the look-out for surprises and the finale of our favorite OC SHIELD team.**

**Everyone, but especially Of Sewers and Dragons fans: ****Hey, didn't you guys realize that Meg, Ellie, Rebecca, Brooke, Sarah, Avery, Jackie, Fallon, Courtney, Emily and Natalia are all from the same place and most of them are related? That's for a reason. (What?!) If you read the Pirates description, you know that the girls there do something to the story that creates a glitch in the OC world. In a final story that features my girls, you'll find out what happens to them all. **

**Thanks so much for your support, guys, I love you all and I can't wait to here from you!**

**~A Keeper**

**(And all her OCs :) )**


End file.
